McDonald’s “Pay with Lovin’” Ranked Super Bowl 2015’s Best Commercial
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. —According to television advertising analytics firm Ace Metrix, McDonald's one-minute "Pay with Lovin'" commercial was the top-scoring ad of Super Bowl 2015.
The researcher uses a sample of over 500 representatives of the U.S. TV viewing audience, who score each ad. The results are presented on a scale of 1–950, which represents scoring on creative attributes such as Persuasion, Likeability, Information, Attention, Change, Relevance, Desire and Watchability.
"An Ace Score over 700 is about as common as a perfect game in Major League Baseball: 0.06% of all ads over the past five years have scored above 700. McDonalds has achieved Super Bowl gold, surprising and delighting consumers and changing perceptions about the fast food giant," said Peter Daboll, CEO of Ace Metrix.
Top 10 Super Bowl Ads, 2015
| Rank | Brand | Ad Title | Powered By | Ace Score |
| 1 | McDonald's | Pay With Lovin' | Likeability | 706 |
| 2 | Budweiser | Lost Dog | Attention, Likeability, Emotion | 652 |
| 2 | Coca-Cola | #MakeItHappy |
Likeability, Relevance, Emotion |
652 |
|
2 |
Snickers | The Brady Bunch | Likeability, Desire | 652 |
| 5 | Mercedes-Benz | Fable | Attention, Likeability, Emotion | 649 |
| 6 | Microsoft | Braylon O'Neill | Attention, Likeability, Information, Change |
646 |
| 7 | Dodge | Official Dodge Wisdom | Likeability, Emotion | 644 |
| 8 | Doritos | When Pigs Fly | Attention, Likeability, Desire | 643 |
|
9 |
Always |
LikeAGirl |
Likeability |
636 |
|
10 |
Doritos |
Middle Seat |
Attention, Likeability |
631 |
From February 2 through Valentine's Day, February 14, random McDonald's customers can pay with displays of love instead of cash. But now that the campaign has rolled forth, some are finding the public displays of affection awkward. Kate Bachelder of the Wall Street Journal, writes ($$$): "I wanted an Egg McMuffin. Instead, I found myself being urged to ask a stranger to dance." She continued, "My fellow customers seemed to look on with pity as I drew my fate: "Ask someone to dance." I stood there for a mortified second or two, and then the cashier mercifully suggested that we all dance together."
Still, from the impact of the commercial, McDonald's is an advertising winner, according to Ace Metrix. So are at least nine other commercials.
"McDonalds is on trend with messages of positivity that really resonate with consumers," said Daboll. He added that commercials have seen a pivotal shift away from sheer shock value and slapstick humor toward emotional connectivity in Super Bowl ads. "Nearly every ad in the Top 10 embraced this emotional connection with the exception of Doritos and Snickers, which won on humor, attention, likeability and desire," added the chief executive.
