McDonald's 'Pay with Lovin' Spot is SUPER BOWL's Top-Scoring Ad

McDonald's one-minute "Pay with Lovin'" ad, which aired during the 2nd quarter, is the top-scoring ad so far scored for SUPER BOWL 2015, according to Ace Metrix, the standard in television and video advertising analytics. The ad achieved an Ace Score of 706, one of the highest SUPER BOWL Ace Scores of all time and 21 percent above the category norm for Quick Service Restaurants. Early returns show ads from Budweiser, Coca-Cola, Snickers and Mercedes-Benz to be in the upper echelon of SUPER BOWL 2015 ads. Ace Metrix will release the official list of the most effective SUPER BOWL ads later today.

Watch the spot below:

"An Ace Score over 700 is about as common as a perfect game in Major League Baseball: 0.06% of all ads over the past five years have scored above 700. McDonalds has achieved SUPER BOWL gold, surprising and delighting consumers and changing perceptions about the fast food giant," said Peter Daboll, CEO of Ace Metrix.

"McDonalds is on trend with messages of positivity that really resonate with consumers. For the past few years, we've seen a pivotal shift away from sheer shock value and slapstick humor toward emotional connectivity in SUPER BOWL ads. There were a banner crop of ads this year - from brands like McDonalds, Always, Budweiser, and Coca-Cola - that are continuing to embrace this emotional connection."

Positivity and Emotion Win the Day

In keeping with its trend toward pulling at heartstrings, Budweiser's "Lost Dog" ad scored an admirable 652 Ace Score (34 percent above the Beer ad average). Last year's similarly themed "Puppy Love" ad was the second most effective ad of the Super Bowl, achieving an Ace Score of 681.

Coca-Cola's "#MakeItHappy" ad similarly appealed to consumers on an emotional level, also achieving an Ace Score of 652, placing it firmly in the top tier of SUPER BOWL ads this year. By comparison, Coke's most effective SUPER BOWL ad of the last five years was 2012's "The Catch" featuring its iconic polar bears, which achieved an Ace Score of 654.

Always' SUPER BOWL debut "Like a Girl," which aired during half time, was extremely well-liked by consumers, achieving an impressive Ace Score of 636.

Humor Still A Winning SUPER BOWL Attribute

While many of the top 2015 Super Ad creative tended toward more serious messages, there were still some notable attempts at humor that won over consumers.

Snickers' fun take on the Brady Bunch impressed consumers who awarded it with an Ace Score of 652-the same score as Coke and Budweiser and 14 percent above the category norm for Candies and Snacks. This ad compares favorably to last year's Top 10 M&M's "Delivery" ad, which achieved an Ace Score of 627.

Mercedes-Benz very effectively leveraged the "Tortoise and the Hare" tale with its "Fable" ad appearing in Q4, which achieved an Ace Score of 649. The ad, which won on Attention, Likeability-and even Emotion-was Mercedes' best SUPER BOWL effort in six years. By comparison, 2013's "Soul" ad achieved an Ace Score of 626.

For the second year running, Doritos' "Crash the Super Bowl" ads did not break into the very top echelon of SUPER BOWL ads, though its "When Pigs Fly" spot achieved an impressive Ace Score of 643, followed closely by its "Middle Seat" spot with a 631 Ace Score. By comparison Doritos' 2014 predecessor "Cowboy Kid" appeared in the Top 10 SUPER BOWL ads with an Ace score of 640, and Doritos' most effective SUPER BOWL effort in the last five years was 2012's "Man's Best Friend," which achieved an Ace Score of 645.

Ace Metrix will release complete lists of most effective SUPER BOWL ads on Monday, February 2, 2015.

See more SUPER BOWL ad scores @ace_metrix.

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