The Most Liked and Disliked Super Bowl LIV Commercials

The Colling Media market research team conducted a Snapshot Study directly after Super Bowl LIV to understand consumer reactions to the annual event, halftime show, and accompanying TV advertising.

The survey, conducted after the game on February 3, 2020, canvased 500 adults 18+ throughout the U.S. Respondents were asked about their most liked/disliked TV commercials, whether they made a financial wager on the game, and which aspect of the event they liked the most. Question and answer options were randomized to control for potential ordering bias. The accuracy of the results is +/- 3%.

Here are the key findings of the study:

• The Doritos television commercial with Lil Nas X and Sam Elliott was chosen by 16% of respondents as the best broadcast during the Super Bowl, followed by Bud Light’s Post Malone spot (10%), and Jeep’s Bill Murray commercial (7%)

• There wasn’t as strong a consensus among the worst commercials. Topping the least favorite spots was Donald Trump’s campaign commercial (10%), followed by Pepsi’s spot with Missy Elliott and H.E.R. (9%), and Bud Light’s Post Malone commercial (7%).

• Overall, 77.6% of respondents say they watched the Super Bowl. Although the survey was conducted directly after the show, 6.3% of respondents did not recall that the Kansas City Chiefs won the game.

• When asked which aspect of the broadcast they enjoyed the most, 44.8% of respondents cited the game, followed by 30.7% for the halftime show with Jennifer Lopez and Shakira, and 24.5% for the TV commercials.

• Of respondents who watched the game, 20% of them said they made a financial wager on the game.

“They say there is no such thing as bad publicity, and that may also be true for Super Bowl spots. Whether consumers loved or hated a specific commercial, they remembered them both. That will likely translate into increased brand awareness.”

Brian Colling, CEO of Colling Media