The Super Bowl not only brought together the two best teams in the NFL but also paired some unlikely brands together to share the spotlight in ads. What was the impact of these co-branding efforts?  According to our Brand Tracker, there was little if no impact on consumer perception related to co-branded ads.  Of course, there were some general references made to the collaboration but overwhelmingly the conversation judged an ad in its entirety. So, if an ad was perceived as overall uninspiring, like the GE campaign, then the placement of Budweiser products in the commercial did little to improve that perception.

Did Twinkies Sweeten the Chevrolet Offer

Chevrolet’s post-apocalyptic commercial had lots going on beyond survival: a challenge to Ford, the background sounds of Barry Manilow and Twinkies. But how did the Hostess reference go over with consumers? It was certainly noticed but not overwhelmingly. We did some additional analysis around voice-of-customer to determine the top terms used by consumers to talk about Chrysler and the term ‘Twinkies’ ranked in the top 10 in a list of a words most commonly used. However, it was a distant 9th with terms like ‘Ford’ and ‘Silverado’ driving a much greater part of the conversation. But Chevrolet dominated in many of our key social media indicators, especially in the Purchasing Language ranking.  This type of social media monitoring truly gets to not only the conversation drivers but how an ad’s concepts are influencing consumer purchasing language. Essentially breaking down an ad’s concepts, co-branding, themes – all the creative aspects of a commercial – to isolate and monitor how they influence consumer behavior.

Is This Ad about GE or Budweiser?

GE’s intended message was big. It was about jobs, innovation and company history. It also failed to connect with viewers on any of our measurable social indicators.

Not even their co-branding ad with Budweiser influenced viewers and moved the needle of the social indicators.

Sometimes Beer Doesn’t Improve a Situation

While co-branded ads appeared novel, it was the commercials in their entirety that influenced consumer perception. If ads were perceived as boring or funny, then co-branded references may have contributed to but not entirely shaped that opinion. In the end, it was the message and creativity of the ad that influenced the conversation and consumer intentions.