Welcome to Ad Meter 2021

You can practically feel the anticipation building as that first commercial break after the coin toss nears… And with that, hello USA TODAY Ad Meter 2021! We are excited to kick off another year as the leading tracker of public opinion on Super Bowl …

You can practically feel the anticipation building as that first commercial break after the coin toss nears…

And with that, hello USA TODAY Ad Meter 2021! We are excited to kick off another year as the leading tracker of public opinion on Super Bowl ads—and remember, if you’d like to have your opinion heard on this year’s Super Bowl LV commercials, you can register NOW to be an Ad Meter panelist.

Have questions? The 2021 FAQs are here to help.

The timeframe from now until voting opens—which will begin February 3 at noon ET—is always full of unknowns and surprises, so once again, our editorial staff will keep track of all things Super Bowl commercials, providing coverage of the latest and greatest as the Big Game goes live on February 7 on CBS.

Until then, sit back and enjoy what is setting up to be an exciting year for Ad Meter and all the great panelists.

To get things started, here are a few updates:

The two biggest names in Super Bowl ad coverage are partnering

Adding to the Super Bowl commercial coverage, Ad Meter is joining forces with Adweek to provide extensive editorial insights before, during and after the game. And keep an eye out for The Big Game Summit, a virtual event that will stream on Thursday, February 4.

Featuring both Adweek and Ad Meter editors, along with industry guests, the show will offer an inside look at Super Bowl commercial trends and sneak peeks, plus marketing and media leaders’ Big Game playbooks.

Note: If Super Bowl LV is postponed to February 28, 2021, the event will be rescheduled for February 26, 2021. No reregistration necessary—all existing registrations will be carried over to the new date, if required.

Rate it again!

Also 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—the Replay Ratings will provide a second chance to weigh in with an opinion.

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 a popularity contest, where the ad with the highest total of panelist votes wins the title of “Most/Best ___.”

The ratings will take place from Monday, February 8 to Wednesday, February 10, when the Super Bowl commercial chatter is at a maximum level. And yes, we have totally made sure to include the best photo backgrounds of yesteryear, just so you can have that extra dose of yearbook nostalgia:

Note: You must be a registered panelist to participate and cast your superlative votes.

Big Game Sweepstakes

Incentives to register as an Ad Meter panelist? You bet! Thanks to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, registration this year could mean a trip to the Big Game in 2022. Learn more about the Sweepstakes here.

Going LIVE

The Monday after the Super Bowl is always one of the busiest days for Super Bowl commercial breakdowns and recaps. This year, on Monday February 8, USA TODAY will take a dive into the Big Game’s best during Ad Meter Live powered by Verizon. The premium, 20-minute live experience will be hosted by USA TODAY’s Ralphie Aversa and will air on the Ad Meter site, USA TODAY YouTube channel, and social channels.

Stay tuned for more details!

Now, about that buzz.

Prices are holding steady

The cost for a spot in the Super Bowl LV ad lineup is reportedly in the $5.5 million range, a similar price tag to 2020 ($5.6 million). Additionally, it’s been said that CBS requires advertisers to pay an extra $200,000 to have the spot run on its streaming platform.

Currently, CBS has not sold out their inventory, with somewhere in the 80-percent range having been filled. (Last year, FOX sold out in late November.)

Speaking of which …

Who’s in, who’s out?

Unlike the past several years, many brands have been quiet about their plans for the Big Game spots. Whether that’s because of the Presidential Inauguration, the impact of the coronavirus, or a combination of many elements, the news surrounding who’s in and who’s out has been minimal at best.

But that doesn’t mean there hasn’t been any news.

Big names like Coca-Cola and Pepsi-Cola have both bowed out of this year’s Super Bowl (though Pepsi will have the Halftime Show, plus brands under its umbrella). They join Hyundai, Avocados from Mexico, and Olay as brands from the 2020 lineup that won’t be appearing.

On the other side, Cheetos and Doritos—two brands that have already released teasers—will be part of the commercial festivities, along with Pringles, M&M’s, Kia, TurboTax, Mountain Dew, WeatherTech, and Amazon… and we expect more to come as we get closer to the beginning of February.

Just a fun guess: From what we’ve seen so far, it would be a safe bet to expect more than a few big-name celebs in this year’s spots.

New to the “game”

According to Adweek, Vroom, Fiverr, and Miracle-Gro will all make inaugural appearances during Super Bowl LV.

That’s all for now—again, welcome to USA TODAY Ad Meter 2021!

Register to become a panelist

Rocket Mortgage’s Super Bowl ad starring Jason Momoa finishes fifth in Ad Meter rankings

It’s rare that a lending company-albeit the largest in America-would be expected to make a huge splash in the Ad Meter rankings. They don’t sell beer, or candy, or chips, or soft drinks. And they aren’t releasing the next box-office hit. At the …

It’s rare that a lending company—albeit the largest in America—would be expected to make a huge splash in the Ad Meter rankings. They don’t sell beer, or candy, or chips, or soft drinks. And they aren’t releasing the next box-office hit. At the most, you’d expect them to cause a small ripple.

But, then again, when you have Aquaman…

Rocket Mortgage will forever remember Super Bowl LIV. The Detroit-based lending company was back in the Big Game-mania this year with a spot that featured actor Jason Momoa for their campaign, “Get Comfortable.” That alone seems like a story worth remembering, but it’s merely the gameplan and the not the final drive.

Out of the 60-plus ads and trailers that were submitted, the spot ended the night as the fifth highest-rated commercial in the Ad Meter rankings.

Fifth!

You can count the number of mortgage companies that have accomplished that ranking with a closed fist. The success teetered on the unbelievable, even for an experienced Super Bowl ad veteran like Quicken Loans CMO, Casey Hurbis, who Ad Meter caught up with to talk about the big night.

“When you’ve got a lot of brands there (on Ad Meter) that are habitually in the top 10,” Hurbis noted, “to be a mortgage company—a commodity-based company and brand—that’s in the top 5 is something to be super excited about.”

When we first spoke before Super Bowl Sunday, what the actual commercial would look like was still a close secret. Instead, the company and the star of the spot had released several teasers—which did incredibly well—and as the CMO explained, “lent itself to people wondering, ‘What does it really mean for Jason Momoa to be comfortable at home? What is that going to look like?'”

The anticipation would last until the first quarter of the Super Bowl when the final product aired—a sleight of hand that took a comedic one-eighty from the teasers.

It was an epic moment for the 75 Rocket Mortgage employees gathered at the office. “It was sixty seconds of dead silence, and then an eruption of cheers,” Hubris said in awe.

But this was also a busy night, as he pointed out:

“We were activating the Rocket Mortgage Super Bowl Squares, and about five minutes before the commercial ran, there was a score. And for the first time, we were like, ‘OK. We have to pull the name, and we have to announce it.’ Then the commercial ran, and we’re celebrating, and then there was a score shortly after that.”

“Mission Control” Photo courtesy of Quicken Loans

Zero rest isn’t uncommon on this type of night for brands. But the work and effort has been the exciting part of this particular journey for Rocket Mortgage—a “partnership”, as Hurbis describes it, and learning experience. As previously mentioned, he doesn’t always believe that Super Bowl spots should be released before the actual airtime. “You can argue the pros and cons of it,” he explained. “But what this showed us was by teasing it and doing fun, engaging, leaned-in content, you can build up a lot of that buzz and anticipation, and then you show America the spot for the first time.”

(The content is still making the rounds on social media, including these two photos of the—ahem—real Jason Momoa:)

When the night finally ended all that was left were the restless hours until the Ad Meter rankings were released. “It was a late night—we didn’t wrap up until well after midnight,” Hurbis recalled. “But we woke up Sunday morning with smiles on our faces, and it’s been a great week!”

A great week, indeed, one that seems to be continuing.

“People are coming up to Jason and telling him how funny it was and how much they enjoyed the commercial,” Hubris said of Momoa—who reached out to the CMO Sunday night and shared in the joy of how well the spot turned out and has since continued to post behind-the-scenes footage.

“It’s humbling,” Hurbis also added, now having a few days to let the rush of it all settle. “We had a great campaign and a great partner to bring it life, and we’re excited that America affirmed that—the amount of positive sentiment we have is overwhelming.”

It was an impressive showing for Rocket Mortgage, the excitement of the commercial’s success resonated in each answer Hurbis gave. And rightfully so. But that doesn’t mean it’s one-and-done for him or the hard-working team. We ended the conversation by chatting about the future, the “Get Comfortable” campaign, and what it means for Rocket Mortgage.

Hurbis replied: “When you’re America’s largest lender, you’re right back to work and getting ready for the next exciting project.”

With the company’s success in this year’s Ad Meter, that type of forward brand momentum would be expected.

WACTH Porsche’s new Super Bowl LIV teaser takes the audience on an iconic chase

Making the first Super Bowl commercial appearance since 1997, Porsche has revved up its engines in a fast-paced, go-get-em teaser for the upcoming spot in Super Bowl LIV. Titled “The Heist,” the German sports car maker takes the audience from the …

Making the first Super Bowl commercial appearance since 1997, Porsche has revved up its engines in a fast-paced, go-get-em teaser for the upcoming spot in Super Bowl LIV.

Titled “The Heist,” the German sports car maker takes the audience from the Porsche Museum— where one new car, the 2020 Taycan, is snuck out for a spin—to Heidelberg, the Black Forest, and the Zuffenhausen district of Stuttgart.

On the heels (check that: wheels) of the sleek white Taycan are some truly iconic classics: The legendary 917 K race car, 918 Spyder hybrid supercar, and of course, the Porsche 911 (modified 2020 model).

It’s only a matter of a few museum workers figuring out who’s driving what before we’re off in the newly released—and very “electric”—teaser:

“The spotlight and buzz around ads at this event make it a perfect venue for reaching new fans – in a fun way that connects with the game’s themes of performance and competition,” said Klaus Zellmer, President and CEO of Porsche Cars North America, Inc.

The “buzz,” mind you, isn’t being fueled the way car lovers would expect from the company’s 70-plus years of automotive design. The Taycan is a fully-electric powered car, a new area for the company. However, that doesn’t downplay the expectations with Porsche.

“A Porsche is always a driver’s car, and the playful chase in ‘The Heist’ draws a clear line through decades of models to the Taycan. They all share the same soul,” Zellmer added.

Will audience members enjoy the ride?

Make sure to keep an eye out for the full ad, created Cramer-Krasselt, during the first quarter of the Big Game on February 2.

To have your opinion heard on this spot—and all Big Game commercials—register now to be a USA Today Ad Meter panelist.

Welcome to Ad Meter 2020

Super Bowl LIV will be here before you know it, with the big game set for February 2, on FOX. And with less than a month to go, we’re also reminded of another exciting element: It’s also USA Today’s AD Meter time! Let’s bring on the Super Bowl …

Let’s bring on the Super Bowl commercials!

This year marks the 32nd Ad meter competition, and it is starting to look like another good one. Complemented by the NFL’s centennial celebration, the possibilities for what types of Super Bowl commercials we’ll see are being unveiled almost daily.

Remember, if you’d like to have your opinion heard on this year’s commercials, you can register to be an Ad Meter panelist beginning January 15.

Until then, here a few updates as we get ready to kick things off!

Gathering metrics has changed

Due to 2018 regulations established in the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), Ad Meter will no longer gather personal metrics information (salary, location, age range, gender). You can read more about the law here: CCPA Law.

Fewer commercial breaks

Back in May, FOX announced that it would be cutting the number of commercial breaks each quarter, going from the usual five down to four. Commercial lovers shouldn’t worry, though: The cut won’t restrain the total number of spots, because each break will be longer than in past years.

Prices have not changed—fewer breaks have only increased the demand

The cost for a spot in the Super Bowl ad lineup continues to rise. This year, purchasing two 30-second spots will run $5.5 million per, while one 30-second spot is $5.6 million. Because of the fewer breaks, advertisers are moving quickly to get into the mix, with only the 2014 Super Bowl (New York) selling as many spots at this current point of the process (as of 1/9/20). The demand, with a reported 25 advertisers positioning for the final 17 spots, might boost spends closer to $6 million!

Plenty to eat, plenty to drink

Anheuser-Busch is back, marking the 40th year as an official sponsor of the game. They told Ad Meter they’ll feature “Budweiser, Bud Light, Michelob ULTRA and Michelob ULTRA Pure Gold in four, 60-second spots.” Coca-Cola will be there, too, along with Pop-Tarts, Avocados from Mexico, Pringles, Snickers, with certainly more to follow!

Vroom! Vroom!

Of course, no Super Bowl is complete without a few great car commercials. Kia, which is celebrating 25 years, will be there on Super Bowl Sunday. Audi, Hyundai, Toyota, and Porsche have started their engines for a trip to the SB Commercial Garage, too.

New to the “game”

Facebook made the biggest inaugural splash, thanks in part to Sylvester Stallone’s social media post. Sabra will make its first appearance. Both, however, have been overshadowed by a particular campaign one-up: President Donald Trump and former NY mayor Michael Bloomberg, according to reports, will be fight-spending during Super Bowl LIV, with the two camps dumping millions for ad space.

And that’s just the beginning! Make sure to follow along all month as we get closer to Super Bowl Sunday!