The Adtrack database stands at almost 70,000 TV adverts tested, and more than one million interviews conducted, making this database one of the largest of its kind in the world.
The survey, while identifying the best-liked ads, also underscores some key trends - while the average liking score has improved over time, the number of people who can correctly recall an ad has declined, most likely due to the increasing number of ads being aired each year; in 1984 there was around 500 new ads flighted annually compared to 2,250 ads in 2010, and in the increasingly cluttered and fragmented media landscape, the ability to measure the effect and efficiency of different media activity is paramount. Although noting has been on a declining trend since 1984, there has been an increase within the last three years. There are various reasons for this: the relevance of brands being advertised, increasing media pressure put behind each execution, as well as the high creative calibre of commercials, and thus the resultant increase in liking scores.
FMCG brands are less predominant with fewer ads making the best liked list as compared to previous years; this in part could be accredited to the surge of ads for tech brands. According to the BrandZ study of the Top 100 Most Valuable Global Brands produced annually by Millward Brown Optimor, technology and telecoms brands continue to grow and now comprise a third of the Top 100 brands compared with a quarter in 2006. This is reflected in the ads in the Adtrack Top Twenty Best Liked list, where a third of the ads are for these products, and six of the best liked ads are also brands ranked in the list of the BrandZ Top 100 Most Valuable Global Brands of 2011: Microsoft, Coca-Cola, Vodafone, Toyota and Blackberry, who feature twice on the list.
LG's '3D Smart TV - More Fun' ad has topped the Best Liked Ad's list this year. The ad was created by HS-Ad, the Global LG Agency. Says Bronwyn Hume, Senior Manager - Corporate Marketing and Strategy Development for LG, "For our cinema 3D launch campaign, we had several core objectives: to introduce our new advanced 3D technology by generating immediate awareness, to gain consumer and industry attention by creating controversy and noise while making 3D TV an industry topic again, and to develop creative that would communicate our many product advantages."
They used a creative strategy that was humorous and witty, a traditional winner with regards to the consumer, and the ad worked across global markets, a win for the savvy marketer in these post recession times as brands continue to feel the impact of the economic downturn.
Adtrack's primary purpose is to help marketers and agencies plan their future media monies more efficiently, while determining advertising likability. Marketers with higher scores demonstrate superior abilities in delivering an ad that is effective in reaching the targeted customers with a persuasive message, and one of the best measurements of advertising results is business results. "People pay more attention to ads they enjoy, and great creative advertising can change business." says Charles Foster, MD Millward Brown, South Africa.
The common ingredients in great advertising is to get the consumers attention, stay true to the brand, affect the consumers brand experience, and engage and entertain while sending a clear and simple message. And time and again we've noticed that the ads that the consumers note and like feature kids, animals and of course some good humour. Coca cola (1993, 1994, 2007), Klipdrift (2005), Vodacom (1998, 2006) and Audi (2002) have evidently found the winning combination and caught the consumers attention, with these brands each winning first place in Millward Browns Best Liked Ads list over the past 27 years, and LG featured third on the list last year.
Kudos goes to these savvy marketers and their advertising agencies for keeping us all entertained over the years and creating great advertising that gets the attention of their most important critics, their consumers.
BEST LIKED ADS
JULY 2010 - JUNE 2011
| NAME | AGENCY |
1 | LG 3D TV: More fun | HS-Ad |
2 | Microsoft Windows phone: Really? | Crispin Porter & Bogusky |
3 | Blackberry BBM: DJ | Net#work BBDO |
4 | Bakers tennis biscuits: Gogo | Ogilvy Johannesburg |
5 | Vodacom: Warra warra | Draftfcb Johannesburg |
6 | Toyota Hilux: Man up | Draftfcb Johannesburg |
7 | 8ta: Domestic workers | McCann Erickson |
8 | Klipdrift: Favourite brother | Draftfcb Cape Town |
9 | Coca-Cola: Refreshment | Ogilvy Johannesburg |
10 | FNB: Anthem | Metropolitan Republic |
11 | Volvo S60: Eye-catching | EuroRSCG |
12 | Panado: Parrot | Draftfcb Johannesburg |
13 | Coca-Cola: Snow Globe | McCann Erickson Worldwide |
14 | Protex Propolis: Barrier Protection | Y&R |
15 | Toyota Corolla: Blue Danube | Draftfcb Johannesburg |
16 | Nestlé: Healthy Start | Ogilvy Health World |
17 | Lindt Chocolate: Richest flavour | Grey |
18 | Audi A4: Chandelier | Ogilvy Cape Town |
19 | Blackberry torch: Across the world | Net#work BBDO |
20 | Yamaha: Blazing Talent | Tswelopele Productions |
01 LG Cinema 3D Smart TV: More Fun
02 Microsoft Windows Phone: Really?
03 BlackBerry BBM: DJ
04 Bakers Tennis Biscuits: Gogo
05 Vodacom: Warra Warra
06 Toyota Hilux: Man up
07 8.ta: Domestic Workers
08 Klipdrit: Favourite Brother
09 Coca-Cola: Refreshment
10 FNB: Anthem
11 Volvo S60: Eye Catching
12 Panado: Parrot
13 Coca-Cola: Snow Globe
14 Protex Propolis: Barrier Protection
15 Toyota Corolla: Blue Danube
16 Nestlé : Healthy Start
17 Lindt Chocolate: Richest Flavour
19 Blackberry Torch: Across the World
20 Yamaha: Blazing Talent