POV

The formula for a great ad is not that simple. The Super Bowl is over. The ads have been played and replayed. We know what people liked and what they didn’t. The questions are; what can brands learn from it all?

We tested over 65 ads with more than 20,000 consumers on the night. Each ad was tested with an audience of 300 consumers who reported an interest in buying a product in the respective advertiser's category. So, beer ads were seen by folks that drink beer and chip ads were seen by those who occasionally enjoy chips.

This helps us to get an accurate read of how likely an ad is to create a behavior change. We measure impact based on sales impact. Each brand receives an effectiveness score that is benchmarked against more than 4,000 ads in our data set. The result is a percentile score out of 100 that puts each ad's performance in perspective – and it’s perfect for weighing up which ads work and which don’t.

The Formula For A Super Bowl Ad

We all have a general idea of what makes a Super Bowl ad: big celebrities, dramatic scenarios, and memorable brand moments. There’s a reason Super Bowl ads feel familiar. Year after year, we see certain elements dominate:

• Celebrities: 68% of this year’s ads featured famous faces, from Hollywood stars to pop culture icons.
• Distinctiveness: The Super Bowl is a stage for extravagant, over-the-top storytelling that wouldn’t work in a standard TV spot.
• Brand Connection: The best ads make sure all that entertainment still ties back to the product.

When executed well, this formula works. Michelob Ultra, for example, blended humor, cultural relevance, and strong branding to deliver an ad that scored in the 96th percentile for sales impact. The ad resonated with both older and younger audiences, using relatable celebrities like Willem Dafoe and Catherine O'Hara and tapping into the trendy yet accessible sport of pickleball, all while cleverly addressing ageism with humor.

It worked because the ad balanced cultural references with brand messaging in a way that spoke to different generational preferences. However, just because these elements are common in successful ads doesn’t mean they always work—timing, relatability, and emotional resonance are key.

But when does this formula fall short? A lot of it happens when brands put the spectacle over their own goals. Star-studded ads overshadow the brand, rather than complement it. Uber Eats and Salesforce both featured Matthew McConaughey this year—but his existing association with Salesforce diluted the impact of the Uber Eats' ad. Instead of building excitement, the ad felt like an extension of a different campaign, leading to underperformance in our data set.

This highlights a key truth: following the formula is not enough. Success depends on how well an ad aligns with the brand’s goals and what consumers want.

The Variable: What Your Brand Needs

A great Super Bowl ad isn’t just about fitting in, it’s about standing out in a way that matters to your target audience. That means answering two fundamental questions:

• Who are you trying to reach?
• What do you want to achieve?

Some brands use the Super Bowl to reinforce long-term brand equity. Others prioritize short-term buzz and immediate sales. The right strategy depends on the business need. By getting a hold of these questions, you can start to dig deeper into how to navigate audiences' niches.

Zappi data has found that younger audiences are significantly more likely to respond to campaigns that feel fun and trendy, while older audiences want ads to feel more familiar. Men may connect more with humorous ads, but what is funny to a 65-year-old may not be funny to a 23-year-old. Taking a generic approach to build these campaigns by putting in generic components, like celebrities and animals, without texturing them to appeal to the specific target audiences may get a high likability by the masses but have low impact for the audiences that brands are most eager to engage.

Take Hellmann’s as an example. For two years, their Super Bowl ads focused on food waste, featuring Pete Davidson—a choice aimed at younger consumers. This year, they pivoted dramatically, spoofing When Harry Met Sally with an older cast, shifting their appeal toward an older audience. The result? Among consumers 55+, the ad landed in the 95th percentile for sales impact but among those under 36, it dropped to the 37th percentile.

This wasn’t just a creative decision—it was a strategic one. Hellmann’s made a conscious choice to target a different demographic, knowing that resonating deeply with the right audience was more valuable than a broad, shallow appeal.

There’s no single formula for Super Bowl ad success. While certain elements—celebrities, humor, music—are common, their effectiveness depends on how well they align with a brand’s goals. The real variable is understanding your audience and what you need to achieve. Fitting in is easy; standing out in the right way is what drives impact.

Having more data year-over-year offers a significant competitive edge. When brands harness the right data within the right systems, they can connect insights to not only enhance the creative direction of a single ad but also shape the broader advertising strategy. It’s not just about creating better ads—it’s about improving the entire advertising approach.