food

Ace Scores: Cool Whip Frosting Tops Q1's Ads

Cool-Whip-Ad-BA spot for Kraft Foods’ new Cool Whip Frosting pulled the highest Ace Score (680) of all ads tracked by Ace Metrix in the first quarter, including the highest-scoring Super Bowl ads.

Only two Super Bowl ads made the Q1 Ace top 10: Budweiser’s “Brotherhood” and Mercedes-Benz’s star-studded “Soul” ad. Furthermore, no Oscar ads made the top 10.

The Cool Whip Frosting spot, “Mistreated and Hurt,” spoofs charitable fund-raising commercials by showing images of badly frosted cakes with a grave voiceover: “Sadly, every year, millions of innocent cakes are mangled, mistreated and hurt. But there is something you can do. Go to the freezer section and pick up new Cool Whip Frosting…It’s whipped, fluffy and perfectly sweet, so it spreads on easily, leaving cakes unharmed.”

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The ad earned “attention,” “likeability” and “information” scores (three of the attributes measured within Ace Scores) exceeding 700, and many of the verbatim comments from consumers specifically referred to the ad’s unique and surprising approach, reports Ace Metrix. This continues a trend seen in recent quarters in which breakthrough creative from brands that air fewer ads prevails over some of the most visible and “iconic” advertisers, Ace Metrix noted.

Longhorn Steakhouse’s “Great Steak” – promoting two Steakhouse dinners for $25 -- came in at #2 (676). 

Buick’s “Be Ready” ad, showing a man on a plane using a tablet app to remotely start and warm up his Buick Enclave, which is sitting in the airport parking lot in a snowstorm, was #3 (675).

Coca-Cola’s two-minute, anti-obesity “Coming Together” ad ranked fourth (669). 

Bud’s “Brotherhood” Super Bowl ad, showing the nurturing of one of its Clydesdales, ranked fifth (665).

Olive Garden’s “Deliciously Light” spot promoting its new Lighter Fare menu (575 calories or under) took sixth place (661).

The Super Bowl spot introducing the Mercedes-Benz CLA, showing the devil (played by Willem Dafoe) tempting a young man with the car, fame, riches and beautiful women (with appearances by Usher and Kate Upton), came in seventh (660). 

Applebee’s followed at #8 (656), with a “Delicious Diet” spot featuring a chef explaining her inspirations for tasty new menu items with under 550 calories.

Tropicana’s “Cool Refreshment,” for its Farmstand juices (showing a grocery-store employee riding a cart of fresh-chilled juice bottles out into the juice aisle) ranked ninth (653).

In tenth place: Cadillac’s “World’s Best” spot for its award-winning new sports sedan, the Cadillac ATS (647). 

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