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Ace Metrix: Budweiser Tops In Beer Ads

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Anheuser-Busch is winning the ad war among beer drinkers with six TV spots in the top 10, according to Ace Metrix.

The number one ad, according to the Los Angeles-based analytical company, is the Bud Light "Dog Sitting" spot, which broke during the Super Bowl. The spot had the highest "likability" score of any beer ad, says Ace Metrix CEO Peter Daboll.

"We often see very high likability scores in ads that incorporate both humor and animals," Daboll tells Marketing Daily. "In fact, Bud Light's ad that features a dog jumping competition received the second-highest likability scores but did not actually make it into the top 10."

Total scores are influenced by other components in addition to likability such as watchability, desire, persuasion, relevance, change and information, he adds.

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"The dog-sitting spot also had the highest 'attention' and 'watchability' scores, meaning that the ad grabs people and they want to see it again," Daboll says. "That's good news for an advertiser, as it provides many more chances to win over fickle beer drinkers."

Another theme in the top ads is packaging innovations, such as Bud Light's write-on labels, Miller Lite's party kegs, and Budweiser's Fourth of July can.

Only one ad from Miller Lite, which featured party keg packaging, appeared in the Top 10. This was one of four ads from MillerCoors' brands that made the list (vs. six from Budweiser), which also included Miller High Life's "Live the High Life" Veteran's Day ad, the second-most-effective ad scoring an Ace Score of 637 -- just behind Bud Light's "Dog Sitting" Super Bowl ad, which had the highest Ace score among beer drinkers, at 643. "Dog Sitting" was one of two Super Bowl ads -- both from Bud Light -- in the Top 10.

"Consumers love innovation -- they want to know that they are holding in their hand the next cool thing," Daboll says. "And people believe that the kind of beer they drink and serve makes a statement about themselves, more so than with other foods or beverages."

Ads for light beer, with four from Bud Light and only one each from Miller Lite and Coors Light, represented a majority of the top ads on the list. Foreign brands, such as Guinness and Dos Equis, did not perform well, and registered in the bottom 10.

"The least effective ads were really dominated by foreign brands, which indicates perhaps a 'lost in translation' situation," Daboll says.

Corona was the lone standout, as it produced the highest "desire" score this year among beer drinkers with their "Man finds beach on airplane" spot. "But one component does not necessarily drive overall effectiveness, and this ad scored closer to the norm on watchability, information and change," he says.

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