StratChat: Nielsen's Best-Liked TV Commercials of the Year

Friday, December 23, 2011

Nielsen's Best-Liked TV Commercials of the Year

A little boy in a Darth Vader costume and a guy sucking Doritos crumbs off a co-worker's fingers were among the main characters in the most-liked TV commercials of 2011, according to a report released this week.

Nielsen surveyed TV viewers to find out which ads they liked best. It assigned the ads a "Likeability Score" based on the results. "The best-liked ads reflect the enduring value of traditional ad elements that have withstood the test of time -- strong creative, simple and engaging messaging, and a solid emotional connection," the company said.

Nielsen explained the methodology:

The Likeability Score is the percentage of TV viewers who report to like "a lot" an ad they were exposed to during the normal course of viewing TV (among those recalling the brand of the ad). These scores are then indexed against the mean score for all new ads during the period (Likeability Index). 100 equals average.
Read as: With a Likeability Index of 231, the top-ranked Volkswagen ad has proven to be 131 percent better-liked than the average new commercial during the measured period.

Nielsen also discussed the most remembered brand integrations into dramas and sitcoms, as well as the top primetime programs with product placement activity. The Big Bang Theoryand Desperate Housewives had particularly memorable brand integration, but reality TV shows held nine of the top 10 slots for product placement.

Turn the pages for videos of the top 10 commercials.

Brand: Volkswagen
Likability Index: 231
This is a heartwarming ad that plays on family values. It fits a theme in automotive marketing that we've discussed a couple of times at The CMO Site: Millennials don't respond to car ads that talk about how powerful and sexy cars are. They are more responsive to messages that talk about how a car is a comfortable, fun place to relax and hang out with friends. (See: Traditional Auto Marketing Runs Into a Millennial Ditch and Learning From Hamsters.)
This commercial doesn't seem to be aimed at millennials, but it strikes at similar themes. The car here brings joy to the family and brings them closer together.
This clip is the one-minute version of the ad. Nielsen cites a 30-second version for its scoring.

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Brand: Oreo
Likability Index: 201
Another ad that describes how the product brings families closer together. I like that the dad here seems grumpy at first about being woken up in the middle of the night.
After watching these two commercials, I'm bawling like a five-year-old. I'll present the remaining ads without commentary. Watch them while I compose myself.

Brand: St. Jude
Likability Index: 191