USA TODAY Ad Meter 2023: Early FAQs for panelists, brands and agencies

A helpful tool as Super Bowl Sunday quickly approaches.

Greetings, Super Bowl commercial fans!

If you’ve come to USA TODAY Ad Meter, you’re probably just as eager for the big game ads that await in 2023 as we are — and most likely, you also have a question or two about what’s what as Super Bowl Sunday quickly enters the conversation.

The good news: While much of the 2023 Ad Meter landscape is still in a production phase, the overall steps for submitting a commercial and registering to be a panelist will remain the same as previous years.

Here’s a little guidance to get things kicked off, for both panelists and brands/agencies…

Ad Meter Panelists

How does Ad Meter work?

Panelists will have the opportunity to begin rating the ads on typically the Wednesday before the Super Bowl, at noon ET. As soon as an ad is released, we will add it to the Ad Meter platform.

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 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 2023 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.

Can anyone participate?

U.S. citizens 18 years of age and older can participate. Interested panelists must register in advance at admeter.usatoday.com.

How many panelists do you expect/want?

We expect to have thousands of participants, much like we did in previous years.

Brands and Ad Agencies

What ads are eligible for Ad Meter?

All national ads that air from after the coin toss through the fourth quarter’s two-minute warning (including halftime) will be rated.

House promotions for Cable/Broadcast Networks (such as sitcom promos) are not eligible.
Commercials must be national ads. Even if the spot will air in the top major markets, it’s not eligible. It must be the national spot. This is the first thing that Ad Meter editors will ask.

How do we submit our national ad?

Once confirmed that your ad is a national spot, you will need to submit the following (to RSuter@gannett.com):

A YouTube link to the actual commercial that will air during the Super Bowl
A hi-res image of the commercial (it should be in the 1000 x 600 pixels range)
The title of the commercial
Quarter it will air (including halftime)
Length of commercial

What is the deadline to submit these assets for Ad Meter voting?

We’ll accept a company’s commercial package right up until the coin toss on Super Bowl Sunday.

We’ll only have the extended version on YouTube at that point—will that work?

Ad Meter editors will not accept extended cuts. It must be the exact spot that runs during the Super Bowl.

Will Ad Meter accept any other types of video files?

No. For a brand’s commercial to be uploaded to the Ad Meter site, it must be a YouTube link.

We’ll have the actual YouTube spot available after it airs during the Super Bowl—will that work?

No. Due to the substantial pace and production workload of Ad Meter, it’s not possible to upload a brand’s commercial spot along with images, description, etc., while other brands—that submitted on time—are expecting their spots to go live as it airs.

Brands must submit all assets before the coin toss.

* Editor’s note: It’s common practice to submit a private YT link to Ad Meter that will remain private until the commercial airs. Ad Meter editors will agree to the embargo and are the only ones who will see the spot.

Is there a correlation between Ad Meter success and YouTube views?

No. The amount of views a commercial receives on YouTube’s platform does not carry any weight during the Ad Meter rating process.

* Editor’s note: The view counts a commercial receives on Ad Meter will factor into the overall views on the spot’s YouTube count.

Why do we need a hi-res image?

The image acts as the thumbnail to the commercial, and the video will not populate on the voting platform without one.

* Editor’s note: This step frequently gets overthought. While many brands have submitted an image in the past, a company can just as quickly take a screenshot of the video from YouTube and submit that—the screenshot fits the 1000 x 600 range.

Photo Submission, Licensing Agreement: USA TODAY Ad Meter

As part of the USA TODAY Ad Meter experience, commercials submitted to the Ad Meter editors may be included in editorial coverage outside the voting platform in USA Today or any of its affiliate publications (“USA TODAY Network”). That incorporates posting the commercial spot (when applicable embargoes are lifted), or any part of it, within the USA TODAY Network.

Like the Ad Meter voting platform, a brand’s submitted image will accompany its commercial in the editorial coverage, either as the primary photo in a standalone story or as a thumbnail in the rundown of Super Bowl ads. To ensure that a brand’s submitted photo asset has such permissions for the editorial use, agencies or brands must confirm, in writing, that the images are acceptable for inclusion outside of the voting platform.

The confirmation can be completed via email response when submitting the assets to Rick Suter (RSuter@gannett.com) for Ad Meter.

If this type of access is not granted, then Ad Meter editors will only upload the video to the voting platform.

A brief description accompanies the commercial—can we control what’s written?

Ad Meter editors welcome any info about the commercial, but the blurb accompanying the video is part of our editorial process. So we will not accept any copy from the brands.

When does Ad Meter voting begin?

While the timeline is subject to change, Ad Meter voting has historically kicked off the Wednesday before the big game, beginning at noon ET.

Are we able to promote our Super Bowl commercial for Ad Meter voting?

Absolutely. Participation in USA TODAY Ad Meter is why we created the platform and process back in 1989. The more voices, the better. And as we move forward in the Digital Age, we fully expect brands to use social media outlets as a way to promote a campaign.

Are we able to do ‘paid promotions’ on social media?

Yes, brands that wish to execute paid promotions for their Super Bowl commercial/Ad Meter voting may do so.

Here are the overall guidelines for social media and use of the Ad Meter IP:

Organic Social Posts

USA TODAY does not require a review of organic social posts, but as a courtesy, will review for accuracy
Please allow two business days for reviewPaid Social Posts
When using “Ad Meter” or linking to the Ad Meter website in a paid social post, please send post(s)
to RSuter@gannett.com & admeter@usatoday.com for review before going live
Please send two business days before campaign going liveUse of IP
You may use “Ad Meter” in text form and link to our website: admeter.usatoday.com
You may not use the Ad Meter logo or elements of this year’s surrounding creative campaign
We advise you not to use “Super Bowl” unless NFL has approved you to do so

Can an advertiser “game” the system using paid social media—or any other means?

No. Ad Meter participation requires a registered Ad Meter panelist to vote on every commercial for their votes to count. It’s not a one-and-done system. So driving voters to a specific ad doesn’t overload the voting because the newly registered users must continue voting for their ratings to become official.

* Editor’s note: The USA TODAY Ad Meter team has not seen any correlation between top-rated ads and the brand’s use of social media (paid or not).

What if a voter rates one ad a “10” and gives underwhelming marks to all the other ads?

USA TODAY Ad Meter has continuously monitored our registrations and audited the rating process closely for any patterns or discrepancies—like bulk voting or Bots—and has investigated anything that seems odd.

There are systems to flag such behavior, which will continue in 2023 and beyond.

Are company employees with a national spot in the Super Bowl allowed to register for Ad Meter and vote?

Yes. We encourage Ad Meter participation, so this is perfectly acceptable.

What if we have a national Super Bowl commercial but don’t want to be included in the Ad Meter ratings?

Brands with a national spot—including movie trailers—that do not wish to be part of Ad Meter may opt out. We only ask that you submit this in writing to RSuter@gannett.com.

That’s all for now, commercial fans. Stay tuned for more as USA TODAY Ad Meter 2023 nears.

Ad Meter 2021 FAQs

Everything you need to know for USA TODAY’s 2021 Ad Meter as Super Bowl LV nears.

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.

Register for Ad Meter here!