Super Bowl commercial season is here, which means that USA TODAY Ad Meter is ready for you to help rate this year’s ads.
Ready to be part of the 34th USA TODAY 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.
And you can be part of the history as an Ad Meter panelist, allowing your voice to be heard on this year’s participating SB ads.
We expect a big voter turnout for Super Bowl 56 and understand that you might have questions, so please see the FAQs below to help you get started.
NOTE: Advertising agencies looking to submit a brand’s spot (if eligible) in the 2022 Ad Meter ratings, please email rsuter@gannett.com to receive 2022 Submission Guidelines/FAQs
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 27 and Super Bowl Sunday (even during the game), which is February 13 this year on NBC.
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 9, 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. 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 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 from 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 2022 USA TODAY Super Bowl Ad Meter winner will be declared after voting on admeter.usatoday.com has ended, with the results being announced the following morning—in digital, print and television.
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—otherwise, your votes will not count.
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 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 2019, 2020 and 2021, we will again have a statistically significant amount of votes cast in 2022 to keep any advertisers from “gaming” the system. In addition, 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.
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.
What if the Super Bowl is moved?
Super Bowl organizers have stated that the show will go on according to plan—SoFi Stadium, Los Angeles, Feb. 13 on NBC. While there is always some uncertainty these days, it seems highly unlikely a contingency plan would be required for Ad Meter.
Anything we missed?
The Replay Ratings are back!
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 that will take place from Monday, February 14 to Thursday, February 17.
The Replay Ratings will award superlatives like Most Comical, Most Heartwarming, Best Teaser, etc. Our editorial experts will select five ads in each category, much like a Hollywood awards show. The ad with the highest total of panelist votes in each respective category wins the title of “Most/Best ___.”
If you have more questions, contact us at admeter@usatoday.com.
