The secret to Super Bowl success is to make a complex art form look simple

In the 56 years since the first Super Bowl, the game itself is about the only thing that has remained the same. 

From the way it’s watched, listened to and talked about, to the technology that enables predictions, analytics and algorithms - and even the way bets are placed on the outcome - there is almost nothing about that first match in 1967 that remains today.

The most effective ads on the night were for basic Big Game pleasures: beer and snacks. 

Sunday night’s match was billed as the most tech-brand-heavy Super Bowl since the dotcom boom, with millions of dollars paid out in advertising spots for everything from cars to movies. But, as it turns out, the most effective ads on the night were for far more basic Big Game pleasures: beer and snacks. 

Above: According to System1's FaceTrace technology, Sam Adams' Dynamics was the Super Bowl's most emotionally effective commercial.

System1’s Test Your Ad platform uses FaceTrace technology to monitor the most emotionally effective Super Bowl LVI ads, and this year's winner was Dynamics, a spot from Boston Beer Company brand Samuel Adams. Doritos’ and Cheetos’ dancing animals were very close behind, proving there really is a perfect recipe for a night in front of the football. 

Doritos and Cheetos teamed up with each other and Megan Thee Stallion for an ad which kept the party vibe going.

The Dynamics spot mixed tech, humour and a familiar character to produce a customer-winning formula that not only created real impact but justified what can be as much as a $7M spend. And Samuel Adams wasn’t the only brand to get things right. Doritos and Cheetos teamed up with each other and Megan Thee Stallion for an ad which kept the party vibe going, while spots from Kia, Universal Pictures, Skechers and E-Trade all fared high in our rankings. 

The Test Your Ad technology produces a Star Rating, from 1 to 5.9, based on people’s emotional response to each ad within 24 hours of the ad being shown. These stars predict an ad’s potential to contribute to long-term growth for the brand. The rating predicts long-term brand growth while the Spike rating predicts short-term sales impact. 

So, with Sam Adams taking top spot, how did other ads fare this Super Bowl? Below are the Top 10 most emotionally effective Super Bowl LVI ads, ranked highest to lowest:

1. Sam Adams Dynamics [4.9 stars]
2. Doritos Push It Flamin’ Hot [4.9 ]
3. Kia Robo Dog EV6 [4.8]
4. Universal Pictures Jurassic World; Dominion trailer [4.5]
5. Skechers On the Road Again [4.3]
6. E-Trade Off the Grid [4.1]
7. Michelob Ultra Welcome to Superior Bowl [3.8]
8. Toyota Brothers [3.8]
9. Lays Stay Golden Memories [3.7]
10. Disney+ All the GOATS [3.7]

Above: Doritos, Kia and Lays all scored highly as emotionally effective commercials. 

The Super Bowl is one of the biggest cultural events in the US calendar and, without giving advertising credit beyond its due, it’s fair to assume the ads that prove the most popular can be used as a barometer of national attitudes. And brands brought their A-game in 2022. Those that won on the night recognised that, after a turbulent couple of years, people will always warm to the ads that offer comfort, nostalgia and, crucially, can raise a smile. At a time when an escape from reality is needed more than ever, those marketers who foresaw that are reaping the benefits now.

Those [brands] that won on the night recognised that, after a turbulent couple of years, people will always warm to the ads that offer comfort, nostalgia and, crucially, can raise a smile.

We saw a variety of themes—covering everything from tech to travel and leisure, and plenty of future-forward concepts like robots, electric vehicles and crypto. Above all, we saw plenty of references to movies, mascots and music from past decades, feeding our appetite for nostalgia. So, why was there such a weak showing from the more tech-focused brands? 

Simply put, many of them got too bogged down in the details and forgot that iconic Super Bowl spots all boil down to the same thing: great storytelling.