With the help of the new hybrid Kia Niro, actress Melissa McCarthy saves the world. Kia
No one had a better night than Tom Brady, but Melissa McCarthy and Kia came close.
Her slapstick shtick for Kia won the 29th annual USA TODAY Ad Meter competition in a crazy commercial where she gets bounced out of a boat by a rampaging whale, among other ecological calamities.
The 60-second spot, called “Hero’s Journey,” is about an eco-warrior called on to save the whales — and the trees and the polar ice caps. Each time she strives heroically but ends up with the sort of cartoonish comeuppance more commonly associated with Wile E. Coyote. (Except that he chased the Roadrunner, while she gets chased by rhinos.)
The ad’s save-the-planet theme dovetails with the 2017 Kia Niro, which the company ballyhoos as a smarter kind of crossover. The spot was created by the David & Goliath agency, which is based in El Segundo, Calif.
Car humor won the day last year, too, when Hyundai took the prize for an ad starring Kevin Hart. This makes two years in a row for automakers after Anheuser-Busch InBev won it the three previous years.
Car companies drove off with Ad Meter’s second and third places too. Honda scored for a 60-second spot called “Yearbooks.” Real photos of nine celebrities in their youth come to life and talk about the power of dreams. They are (in alphabetical order) Amy Adams, Steve Carell, Viola Davis, Missy Elliott, Tina Fey, Magic Johnson, Jimmy Kimmel, Stan Lee and Robert Redford.
Audi offered “Daughter,” a powerful 60-second spot that shows a father watching his daughter weave her way down the course in a cart race. Her father worries about her place in the world as she drives to first place in the race. The ad fades to black as these words appear: “Audi of America is committed to equal pay for equal work. Progress is for everyone.”
“Born the Hard Way,” an ad telling the immigrant story of Budweiser co-founder Adolphus Busch, finished fourth. And “#BradshawStain” — Terry Bradshaw’s meta spot for Tide about a spot on his shirt — finished fifth.
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Since 1989, USA TODAY’s Ad Meter has been one of the USA’s most closely watched symbols of advertising excellence. This year, more than 15,000 active voters weighed in on their favorites. For the first time, Ad Meter also introduced five days of early voting, from Wednesday through early Monday, and a daily Ad Meter Live show on Facebook.
Voting was conducted on the Ad Meter platform at admeter.usatoday.com, accessible via desktop and mobile phone or tablet. Panelists were required to vote on every eligible national ad that aired during the game, from immediately following the coin toss through the end of regulation play. Commercials were ranked by panelists using a numerical score, from 1-10, to determine the highest average score and 2017 Super Bowl Ad Meter winner.
PLAYLIST: View every ad
With the help of the new hybrid Kia Niro, actress Melissa McCarthy saves the world. Kia
LeBron James wants you to drink Sprite, even if he won't say so.
Alfa Romeo debuts a cinematic commercial for this year's Super Bowl.
Morgan Freeman stars in Turkish Airlines' new Super Bowl ad.
Tide debuts the second part of it's humorous Super Bowl ad.
Paramount debuts it's trailer for the upcoming movie Baywatch.
Amazon releases it's humorous Super Bowl commercial.
Kristen Schaal stars in this humorous T-Mobile Super Bowl ad.
20th Century Fox debuts the trailer for A Cure For Wellness.
Coca-Cola's mouth-watering Super Bowl ad features foodies preparing (and eating) a variety of gourmet meals.
Persil's new Super Bowl commercial features famous scientist Bill Nye.
Airbnb debuts it Super Bowl LI commercial with a message of acceptance.
Snickers debuts it's live Super Bowl commercial.
Universal debuts the latest installment in the Fast and Furious series.
Alfa Romeo debuts one of it's powerful commercials which will air during the Super Bowl.
It's a 10 Haircare makes it Super Bowl commercial debut.
Netflix debuts the trailer for the new season of Stranger Things.
Turbo Tax debuts it's humorous Super Bowl ad featuring Humpty Dumpty.
The trailer for the latest film in the Transformers series.
20th Century Fox debuts it's commercial for the movie Logan.
Justin Timberlake and Christopher Walken star in Bai's Super Bowl ad.
Disney debuts it's trailer for Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales.
Terry Bradshaw stars in Tide's new Super Bowl ad.
Jon Hamm stars in H&R blocks new Super Bowl commercial.
Mobile Strike debuts it's new commercial at Super Bowl LI.
A secret society has trouble keeping secrets, including the health benefits of avocados. (Also, Jon Lovitz shows up.)
Google introduces "Google Home" in its new Super Bowl ad.
The NFL debuts its dramatic commercial for this year's Super Bowl.
Martha Stewart and Snoop Dogg star in a hilarious Super Bowl ad for T-Mobile.
Kristen Schaal stars in a steamy Super Bowl ad for T-Mobile.
On Sunday, the American Petroleum Institute will air its first-ever Super Bowl ad.
Action stars Gal Gadot and Jason Statham wreaking havoc inside a restaurant inspires the chef.
An episode of fictional show Real Awful Moms is interrupted in this spot for video game World of Tanks.
An episode of fictional show Teensy House Buyers is interrupted in this ad for video game World of Tanks.
Michelin tires help people safely make it home to their families.
84 Lumber's first Super Bowl ad tells the story of an immigrant family's journey to America.
A trailer for The Handmaid’s Tale, a new Hulu series featuring Mad Men star Elisabeth Moss.
Fitness enthusiasts bond over their shared passion in this Michelob ULTRA spot, which features the theme song from 'Cheers',
WeatherTech, which makes its car floor mats in America, shows just how far it will go to protect your vehicle.
The NFL's Super Bowl ad is the definition of adorable. NFL
Yearbook photos of celebrities such as Steve Carell, Tina Fey, and Magic Johnson come to life in this ad, a celebration of the 20th birthday of the Honda CR-V.
Justin Bieber, Rob Gronkowski, and Terrell Owens take us through the history of the touchdown dance.
Bud Light Icon Spuds MacKenzie returns in the new Super Bowl Ad as a man's best friend to show that it was never about the parties, but friendships made along the way.
Actors Aaron Eckhart, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, and Fan Bingbing star in "The Battle of Evony" a short movie promoting the mobile game Evony: The King’s Return.
Audi's Super Bowl ad, featuring a man watching her daughter win on the race track, advocates for equal pay.
A man fakes his own death to get out of his Verizon contract before being convinced to switch to Sprint.
Nintendo introduces the new Switch console with clips from the game The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.
Ernie the Elephant, voiced by WWE star John Cena, discovers the benefits of Wonderful Pistachios.
Narrated by actor Bryan Cranston, Ford's Super Bowl LI ad focuses on the automaker's future plans.
Actor John Malkovich struggles to secure the domain name JohnMalkovich.com in Squarespace's new ad.
A man trying to stash away his King's Hawaiian rolls chooses a hiding place that isn't as secret as he thinks it is.
John Legend and PepsiCo's new LIFEWTR bottled water brings color to a drab world.
Busch's first ever Super Bowl ad reintroduces the beer to the world by embracing the great outdoors.
KFC's first Super Bowl ad stars actors Billy Zane and Rob Riggle as dueling versions of Colonel Sanders.
In the latest installment of the automaker's "That's a Buick?" campaign, NFL star Cam Newton and supermodel Miranda Kerr each make a surprise appearance at a pee wee football game.
GoDaddy's Super Bowl spot stars a man who completely embodies the most fun parts of the Internet.
The story of Adolphus Busch, the German immigrant who co-founded Anheuser-Busch in the 1800s.
With its new 360-degree replay technology, Intel spices up Tom Brady's morning routine.
A teenager trying to get a girl's attention with Skittles unknowingly gets more than he bargained for.
The newly buff Mr. Clean dazzles in his first Super Bowl ad.
Febreze vows to make sure that your football halftime bathroom break won't stink.
Fiji Water's new Super Bowl commercial stresses the importance of untouched water.
Wendy's touts its fresh beef and pokes fun of its competitors' frozen burgers.
Ad Meter 2017: Kia
Ad Meter 2017: Sprite
Ad Meter 2017: Alfa Romeo - Mozzafiato
Ad Meter 2017: Turkish Airlines
Ad Meter 2017: Tide
AD Meter 2017: Paramount - Baywatch
Ad Meter 2017: Amazon
Ad Meter 2017: T-Mobile - #NSFWireless
Ad Meter 2017: 20th Century Fox - A Cure For Wellness
Ad Meter 2017: Coca-Cola
Ad Meter 2017: Persil
Ad Meter 2017: Airbnb
Ad Meter 2017: Snickers
Ad Meter 2017: Universal - The Fate of the Furious
Ad Meter 2017: Alfa Romeo - Riding Dragons
Ad Meter 2017: It's a 10 Haircare
Ad Meter 2017: Netflix - Stranger Things
Ad Meter 2017: TurboTax
Ad Meter 2017: Paramount - Transformers
Ad Meter 2017: 20th Century Fox - Logan
Ad Meter 2017: Bai
Ad meter 2017: Disney - Pirates of the Caribbean
Ad Meter 2017: Tide
Ad Meter 2017: H&R Block
Ad Meter 2017: Mobile Strike
Ad Meter 2017: Avocados From Mexico
Ad Meter 2017: Google
Ad Meter 2017: NFL - Inside These Lines
Ad Meter 2017: T-Mobile - #BagOfUnlimited
Ad Meter 2017: T-Mobile - #Punished
Ad Meter 2017: American Petroleum Institute
Ad Meter 2017: Wix
Ad Meter 2017: Wargaming - Real Awful Moms
Ad Meter 2017: Wargaming - Teensy House Hunters
Ad Meter 2017: Michelin
Ad Meter 2017: 84 Lumber
Ad Meter 2017: Hulu
Ad Meter 2017: Michelob Ultra
Ad Meter 2017: WeatherTech
Ad Meter 2017: NFL
Ad Meter 2017: Honda
Ad Meter 2017: T-Mobile
Ad Meter 2017: Bud Light
Ad Meter 2017: Top Games
Ad Meter 2017: Audi
Ad Meter 2017: Sprint
Ad Meter 2017: Nintendo
Ad Meter 2017: Wonderful Pistachios
Ad Meter 2017: Ford
Ad Meter 2017: Squarespace
Ad Meter 2017: King's Hawaiian
Ad Meter 2017: LIFEWTR
Ad Meter 2017: Busch
Ad Meter 2017: KFC
Ad Meter 2017: Buick
Ad Meter 2017: GoDaddy
Ad Meter 2017: Budweiser
Ad Meter 2017: Intel
Ad Meter 2017: Skittles
Ad Meter 2017: Mr. Clean
Ad Meter 2017: Febreze
Ad Meter 2017: Fiji Water
Ad Meter 2017: Wendy's
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