Super Bowl ad winners and losers: Which brands came out on top?

16-Feb-2024 - Last updated on 16-Feb-2024 at 14:25 GMT

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Super Bowl advertisers that spent millions of dollars on commercials are already seeing a boost in sales, as consumers cite increased demand for Doritos Dinamita, Lindor Chocolate, Starry, Nerds, and Poppi, according to separate reports from Veylinx and Gopuff.

In its second annual Super Bowl study, market research firm Veylinx studied the behavior of more than 1,600 US shoppers to determine how Super Bowl advertisements influenced their post-gameday purchases and how consumers celebrated the game.

The research highlighted eight CPG brands, including Hellmann’s Mayo, Pringles, Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, Doritos Dinamita, and Mtn Dew Baja Blast, and alcoholic and cosmetic brands, Michael Bavan, global marketing lead at Veylinx told FoodNavigator-USA.

Overall, Super Bowl advertisers saw a 16.4% increase in demand following the Super Bowl, with brands like Doritos Dinamita outperforming other food and beverage items. Unlike last year’s results, men drove the majority of increased demand at 24%, compared to 9% for women.

However, Hellmann’s and Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups saw an 18% and 34% drop, respectively, in pre- and post-Super Bowl demand, Bavan noted. This was greater than the 0.5% decrease in demand among the control group of non-advertisers, which included Lays STAX, Kit Kat, Mountain Dew Original, and other products.

Gen Z consumers tuned into the big game ... but only for Taylor Swift?

Veylinx also surveyed consumers on why they watched the game and found that most (54%) watched because of the game itself, followed by pre-game and halftime entertainment at 19%, commercials at 14%, and the social aspect at 5%. Additionally, 14% of consumers said they were watching the game for the first time.

“I was surprised that 14% of this year's viewers were watching it for the first time, and almost half of those first-time viewers were Gen Z viewers. So, you have a lot of first-time people watching the game, which I think would lend itself well to the ads maybe adding more efficacy because maybe these people are paying greater attention to the commercials than they are to the game itself or other things going on.”

While most watched for the game and entertainment, a small percentage (5%) of consumers were simply watching to catch a glimpse of Taylor Swift. The Taylor Swift Effect — which boosted NFL viewership throughout the year — is partially responsible for the 22% of Gen Z consumers who reported watching the Super Bowl for the first time. Doritos Dinamta was one of the top-performing commercials for the cohort.

The age demographic saw a lower-than-average increase in demand for advertised products at 11%, but it was higher than the 1% decline the group saw last year.

While many brands found success with their Super Bowl ads, some were undercut by streaming and brands overpromoting the Super Bowl ad leading up to the event, reducing what made the ads special in the first place, Bavan noted.

“It was more of a cultural trope years ago to say you were watching the game for the commercials, and it seems less of a thing now, especially since so many of the commercials are available in advance, and they're also streaming anyway. So, it used to be a big deal to be able to see these commercials live during the game, but that's not the case anymore. So, it's also possible younger viewers were coming across these commercials outside of the game itself.”

Gopuff sees increased demand for Lindor Chocolate, Starry, Nerds, and Poppi

Food delivery company Gopuff also shared sales data on products that saw large increases following their Super Bowl advertisement.

Following its Life is a Ball commercial, Lindor Chocolate saw a 231% increase in units sold in the hour after the ad aired compared to the hour before the ad ran. Starry and Nerds tied for second with an 186% increase in sales in the same time.

In contrast to Veylinx's data, Reese's sales on the platform increased 70% within the hour after an ad aired promoting its Caramel Big Cups compared to orders an hour before the ad ran. Additionally, gut-friendly soda brand Poppi, M&M's, and Oreo saw unit sales increased by 66%, 48%, and 40%, respectively in the same time period.

When it came to game day, strawberry sales increased 1,320% on the Sunday of the game, and Tostitos products were up 332% compared to an average Sunday. Consumers were also looking to spice up their Super Bowl dishes with hot sauces, which increased 154%.