Characters Win Over Visuals During Super Bowl

The competition during the Super Bowl isn’t just on-field — with such a massive audience, it’s a battle of the brands to stand out during the commercial breaks. And to cut through the noise and leave a lasting impact, ads need to effectively harness the creative components that resonate with audiences. Data from iSpot reveals that having strong characters — and often with the help of celebrities — has emerged as a key element. 

• On average, over the last five Super Bowls, surveyed viewers have rated the characters as the “single best thing” about Super Bowl ads above other components including visuals, music, product, deal or message. 
• The average Super Bowl LVIII ad had 21% of viewers saying the characters were the “single best thing” about the spot, above the visuals (17%) and message (13%). 
• The characters were chosen as the “single best thing” for seven of the top ten funniest Super Bowl LVIII ads.
• The No. 1 ad by likeability from Super Bowl LVIII was BMW’s “Talkin’ Like Walken,” and over half (51%) of surveyed viewers said the characters (including Christophen Walken and Usher) were the “single best thing” about the spot.  

Check out more Super Bowl insights from iSpot and other Measure partners in our special Super Bowl hub.