Hyundai’s Super Bowl Ad Is Called the Most ‘Effective’ in Emotional and Practical Metrics

Video ad tech company Unruly introduced a new combined metric this year, EQ Score, to rank ads based on their “likely emotional, social and business impact.” Applying the EQ Score to the Super Bowl LI commercials, Hyundai came out on top—creating what Unruly called the “most effective ad” of Sunday night.

Unruly used a survey panel of 1,500 nationally representative U.S. respondents. The intensity of emotions felt while watching, brand favorability, authenticity and purchase intent all contribute to an ad’s final score, Unruly said.

The Hyundai ad was created by Innocean. It was filmed during the Super Bowl and aired immediately after. It showed three U.S. soldiers stationed overseas being able to watch the Super Bowl with their loved ones back home, thanks to an immersive VR experience.

One-third (33 percent) of people who watched the Hyundai ad said they would be interested in buying the product; 40 percent felt intense happiness while watching; 55 percent had a more favorable view of the brand after watching; and 88 percent said the content came across as authentic, the highest of any of the ads tested, Unruly said.

Hyundai finished with a score of 6.1 out of 10, just ahead of Coca-Cola’s “It’s Beautiful” at 5.9 (the survey also included some pregame ads). Coke was followed by Mr. Clean (5.0), Audi (4.9) and 84 Lumber (4.4).

“The Super Bowl EQ Ad Effectiveness Chart collates many of the KPIs that affect an ad’s impact—from the hugely important emotional connection it creates with its audience to the metrics it helps drive, like brand perception and purchase intent. Hyundai did a phenomenal job in creating an ad created an emotional connection with viewers,” said Devra Prywes, Unruly’s SVP Marketing & Insight, USA.

See the chart’s Top 10 below.

Tim Nudd

@nudd

Tim Nudd is a former creative editor of Adweek.