Here’s a sneak peek at what could be some of the most liked ads by consumers in this year’s Super Bowl. 

Ad tester System 1 has put ads released early by Super Bowl advertisers into testing and leading the pack is Michelob Ultra, followed by Hellmann's and T-Mobile. 

Here’s the top-10 ranked ads, so far released, based on System 1’s “star” rating process:  

1) Michelob ULTRA, “Superior Beach” – 4.8-Stars  

2) Hellmann’s, “Mayo Cat” – 4.5-Stars   

3) T-Mobile, “That T-Mobile Home Internet Feeling”  – 4.5-Stars   

4) Lindt, “Life is a Ball” – 4.4-Stars  

5) Budweiser. “Old School Delivery” – 4.2-Stars 

6) OREO, “It All Starts with a Twist” – 4.1-Stars  

7) M&M’s, “The M&M’S Almost Champions Ring of Comfort” – 3.9-Stars  

8) Oikos, “Hold My Oikos” – 3.9-Stars  

9)Uber Eats, “Worth Remembering” – 3.7-Stars  

10) BMW, “Talkin Like Walken”– 3.6 Stars  

The company’s platform tests consumers’ emotional responses throughout an ad, assigning a score of 1.0 to 5.9 Stars based on long-term brand-building potential. Ads that make people feel intense, positive emotions like happiness and surprise score high on the scale. Usually only 1% of ads secure a 5-Star score. 

In 2023, big game ads averaged 2.9-Stars, slightly higher than the 2.3-Star average for all US ads, and the highest average for big game commercials over the last four years. In the same period, only five Super Bowl ads have hit the 5-Star level – Disney in 2023, Huggies and McDonald’s in 2021, and Doritos and Jeep in 2020.  

This year’s average so far is 3.3-Stars, with seven spots exceeding 4-Stars. 

Eight of the top 10 ads feature celebrities while two ads, Budweiser and M&M’s, include recurring characters and scenarios - what System1 calls “fluent devices.” 

As the saying goes, “funny is money” and most of the ads tested so far aim for the funny bone. 

 “Like in previous years, many advertisers are going big with humor and using recurring characters, celebrities, cultural references and even a combination of all three vehicles to bring the laughs,” said Jon Evans, Chief Customer Officer, System1.  

“Hellmann’s ‘talking’ cat is unexpected yet fun. Oreo put a comedic twist on pivotal moments in history while embedding their brand into the central storyline and T-Mobile brought back their singing spokespeople with a new celebrity guest. The entertainment stakes are high so it’s great to see marketers dialing into what works for long-term brand building.”