Super Bowl LV is within sight, which means, Super Bowl Commercial Season is almost here!
Along with that, comes another wonderful year of USA TODAY’s Ad Meter.
USA TODAY created the Super Bowl Ad Meter in 1989 to gauge consumers’ opinions about television’s most expensive commercials. Since then, the results have become the industry-leading tool used to measure public opinion surrounding Super Bowl ads.
We expect a big voter turnout for SB LV and understand that you might have questions—whether it’s how to vote on the ads or how to enter an ad in the Big Game—so please see the FAQs below to help you get started.
When does Ad Meter registration begin and end?
U.S. citizens 18 years of age or older who want to be Ad Meter panelist can register online between January 20 and Super Bowl Sunday (even during the game), which is February 7 this year on CBS.
Once registered, you’ll receive access to use a password-protected microsite to vote on the Super Bowl commercials. If you’re having trouble signing in, please try resetting your password here.
If the email you provided is a registered user, we will send an email containing a unique link to reset your password.
How does Ad Meter work?
Panelists will have the opportunity to begin rating the ads on Wednesday, February 3, at noon ET. As soon as an ad is released, we will add it to the Ad Meter platform. Remember: for your vote to count, panelists must rate every ad—so don’t forget to come back during the Super Bowl to finish rating all the commercials that have not been made public beforehand.
Like previous years, Ad Meter will remain open until 1 a.m. ET/10 p.m. PT the night of the Super Bowl (February 7). This will give participants more time to weigh in on their favorite commercials.
How many commercials will there be?
Ad Meter panelists are asked to rate the National Commercial Block between the coin toss and kickoff all the way to the two-minute warning in the fourth quarter—plus halftime. While the count varies from year to year, panelists should expect to rate some 50-plus commercials.
How does the voting work? How is the winner determined?
Each commercial will receive a rating by every panelist who votes. The average rating will be the total of all ratings divided by the number of users who completed rating all commercials. The highest average rating will be the winner.
The winner of the 2021 USA TODAY Super Bowl Ad Meter will be declared after voting on admeter.usatoday.com has ended. The results will also be printed in USA TODAY.
As panelists are rating, will ads be in the same order as they are in the telecast?
Yes, we plan to put the ads in the telecast order on the voting site.
Do panelists have to rate every ad?
Yes, all panelists are required to rate every eligible ad.
Will there be a way to get more info about the ads?
Most of the brands advertising during the Big Game keep things pretty close to the chest, but that doesn’t mean they won’t share a sneak peek here and there. The good news: a dedicated online portal—admeter.usatoday.com—will host daily content supporting the excitement and stories leading up to the game.
Can just anyone participate?
U.S. citizens 18 years of age and older can participate. Interested panelists must register in advance at admeter.usatoday.com.
Can an advertiser “game” the system?
As proven by the size of the voting panel in 2018, 2019 and 2020, we will again have a statistically significant amount of votes cast in 2021 to keep any advertisers from “gaming” the system. We will be monitoring our registrations and auditing the rating process closely for any patterns or discrepancies—like bulk voting or Bots—and we will investigate anything that seems odd.
Will you be gathering personal metrics information (salary, location, age range, gender)?
No. Ad Meter registration no longer includes gathering data from users’ personal metrics due to the CCPA Law.
Are there any incentives to participate?
Yes! When you register to become a panelist, you will be entered into exclusive sweepstakes for a chance to win a trip to the Big Game in 2022. See Prize Details and Official Rules here.
How many panelists do you expect/want?
We expect to have thousands of participants, much like we did in previous years.
Are you changing any of the rules around eligible ads?
No. All national ads that air from after the coin toss through the fourth quarter’s two-minute warning (including halftime) will be rated.
Note: House promotions for Cable/Broadcast Networks (such as sitcom promos) are not eligible.
Are there ever exceptions where Ad Meter includes commercials that don’t fall under the eligibility guidelines?
While there are plenty of great spots around Super Bowl time, USA TODAY’s Ad Meter only permits ads that fit within the eligibility criteria. Out of fairness to the system, no exceptions are made.
How does an advertiser upload their ad?
Advertisers must email a YouTube link directly to our Ad Meter editor, Rick Suter (RSuter@gannett.com). You can upload the video(s) as private before the Super Bowl, but it must be switched to public or unlisted to live on the USA TODAY Ad Meter.
The sooner we get the commercial, the better. It allows time to get everything set up for when the spot is to go live. Rick will send a confirmation to you that he has received the ad. Please be sure to communicate any specific instructions regarding the spot’s release.
Additionally, please send a high-resolution horizontal screenshot from your ad. This will serve as the thumbnail image for your ad on Ad Meter.
We have an extended cut that we’d like to use—is that OK?
You will need to upload the exact commercial creative that airs during the Super Bowl timeframe. Extended cuts are often included in Ad Meter editorial coverage but are not used in the panelist-rating platform.
* For instructions on how to upload a video, check out the YouTube help center.
What if the Super Bowl is moved?
If 2020 has taught us anything: be prepared for the unexpected. While we hope the Super Bowl will go on according to plan that might not be the case. If the game is moved, we will relay the information that becomes available about the new dates/times. From there, we will set the voting window for Ad Meter panelists and communicate with the advertisers who have sent in an ad.
What if an advertiser’s commercial is already live before the game gets moved?
We will unpublish the ad until the new timeframe is set. Once the NFL has confirmed the date, we will reset the voting window for Ad Meter and republish the eligible spots accordingly.
Anything we missed?
Yes—the Replay Ratings!
Brand-new to the Ad Meter fun, if you missed the opportunity to rate the ads during the Super Bowl—or just can’t get enough of the commercials—we’ve created a second chance to weigh in this year that will take place from Monday, February 8 to Wednesday, February 10.
The Replay Ratings will award superlatives like Most Comical, Most Heartwarming, Best Teaser, etc. Our editorial experts will select five ads in each category, and much like high school yearbook polling, it will be popularity contest, where the ad with the highest total of panelist votes wins the title of “Most/Best ___.”
Note: You must be a registered panelist to participate and cast your superlative votes.
If you have more questions, contact us at admeter@usatoday.com.