Ace Metrix, the leader in measuring video advertising effectiveness, released its roundup of Q3’s top performing ads. Out of dozens of measures for creative effectiveness, Ace Metrix recognized the most Empowering, top Breakthrough and Funniest. With over 2,200 ads tested in Q3, the following stood out most on their respective metrics.
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“Third quarter advertising fit right into a year full of anomalies. What’s generally a quiet quarter before the onslaught of holiday ads turned into a game of catch-up for the industry which slowed down at the start of the pandemic,” said Peter Daboll, Ace Metrix CEO. “In addition to traditional brands coming back on air, there were many new brands advertising in the third quarter including Landing, Whoop, and Incogmeato.”
Lists for Most Empowering and Funniest are based on metrics from Ace Metrix’s emotional and cultural measurement platform, Ace EMO. Scores are passively derived from applying Natural Language Processing and machine learning to millions of viewer verbatim comments. Breakthrough capability is measured by a combination of Attention and Likeability components.
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Q3’s Most Empowering Ads
As brands continue to ramp up ad production, many are still seeking ways to inspire and motivate viewers, a trend that is carrying on from Q2 where 37% of ads registered signal on our Empower metric vs. the 19.6% of Q3. Historically, only 12.5% of all ads registered on Empower – a score that measures positive Cultural Perception, indicating when an ad’s purpose-driven message inspires, encourages, or motivates viewers.
Four of the six most Empowering ads from the quarter touched on the topic of COVID-19, proving that some of the most impactful messaging continues to derive from Pandemic-related subject matter.
| Brand | Ad Title | Length | Empower Band |
| Wells Fargo | Unthinkable | 0:30 | Extreme |
| Wells Fargo | Play Your Part | 1:00 | Extreme |
| Wells Fargo | Do Your Part | 1:00 | Rare |
| International Olympic Committee | Give Away | 0:30 | Rare |
| New York Life Insurance | Stronger Together | 0:35 | Rare |
| Chevrolet | The Hopeful | 0:30 | Rare |
Q3’s Top Breakthrough Ads
With over 2,200 ads tested last quarter, those recognized achieved Breakthrough levels recorded by less than 1% of all ads. The top scoring ads were emotionally impactful at their core, but Breakthrough capability isn’t formulaic as the emotions sparked amongst the top ads were wide-ranging.
| Brand | Ad Title | Length | Attention | Likeability |
| PetSmart | Make a Friend | 0:30 | 801 | 806 |
| Hyundai Non-Luxury Auto | Buried | 0:30 | 782 | 764 |
| Southwest | Be Ready | 0:30 | 788 | 747 |
| Budweiser | Reunited With Buds | 1:00 | 777 | 758 |
| Iams | Be Special | 0:15 | 775 | 752 |
| Truist | Meet Sam | 0:30 | 766 | 760 |
| Laughing Man | Nice Morning | 1:00 | 771 | 750 |
| Lego | Game On | 0:30 | 762 | 759 |
| Nike General Apparel | Legend | 1:00 | 761 | 758 |
| Support | 0:30 | 753 | 765 |
Q3’s Funniest Ads
With the pick up of ad production and an improved understanding of the current social landscape, Q3 saw a steadily increasing recovery in the number of ads that fire on the Funny Ace EMO metric. Snickers “First Visitors” led the LOL charge in Q3, taking the crown as the overall funniest ad and proving that consumers can still have a good laugh despite all that 2020 has thrown at us. With a Funny score of 8.9, this Snickers spot topped the list by a king-sized leap.
| Brand | Ad Title | Length | Funny Score |
| Snickers | First Visitors | 0:15 | 8.9 |
| Geico | Unwanted Guests | 0:30 | 7.1 |
| Cheetos | Seeking The Truth | 0:30 | 6.9 |
| Geico | Save With Us | 0:30 | 5.5 |
| Devour | Can’t Resist | 0:30 | 5.5 |
| Hotels.com | 2019 BC | 0:30 | 5.3
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