In The Trenches

How to score the big game

Published on February 1, 2015 Back to blog
Man Excitedly Watching Super Bowl Commercials

Today is not just a big day for football – it is a big day for advertising. Tonight, brands take a large chunk of their media and production budgets to reach one of the largest and most attentive audiences of the year. They also benefit from the pre and post game advertising analysis, where industry pundits and fans alike talk about the brand winners and losers of the game.

So, as you sit back with your chili, beer, nachos, ribs and other healthy game-time snacks, here is a quick, easy (and highly scientific) way to keep score of the game behind the game. Just use this questionnaire/rating system, tally your scores, and the winners and losers will be declared. (Select only one response per question.)

1. Which of the following best describes the ad?
[ ] Touched your heart: 5 points
[ ] Made you laugh: 3 points
[ ] Emotionless: 1 point
[ ] Made you sick (offensive, disgusting, etc.): -1 point

2. How did the ad change your perception of the brand?
[ ] Like them more: 5 points
[ ] First time I’ve ever heard of them: 3 points
[ ] No change: 1 point
[ ] Like them less: -1 point

3. How much time did the brand spend talking about themselves?
[ ] Not much of the time (the brand shared a story): 5 points
[ ] Some of the time (the brand was part of the story): 3 points
[ ] Most of the time (the brand had the lead role): 1 point
[ ] All of the time (it was a brand autobiography): -1 point

4. After seeing the ad, you are most likely to:
[ ] Run out and buy it: 5 points
[ ] Talk positively about it (social media, in person, etc.): 3 points
[ ] Never speak of it again: 1 point
[ ] Talk negatively about it (social media, in person, etc.): -1 point

5. How were you feeling when watching the ad?
[ ] Excited (your team was winning): 3 points
[ ] Stressed (the game was close): 2 points
[ ] Depressed (your team was losing): 1 point
[ ] Drunk (you weren’t paying much attention): 0 points

I hope this makes the game a bit more interesting. Please share your results (winners, losers and total scores) here – and let’s see what happens. You can also share your scores on Twitter and Facebook with #sbadscore. 

Enjoy the game. Go Pats!

Jeff Freedman
CEO/Managing Partner
Small Army | Finn Partners