Media Literacy - Spring 2016
Super Bowl Ad Comparisons - 7 50 pts
Name(s):
I.
II.

Day/Period:
Read the USA TODAY Ad Meter 2016 FAQ (attached) and then answer question #1
below.
Log On to see the Ad Meter: http://admeter.usatoday.com/results/2016
Scroll through and look at the top ads from 2016. Rank YOUR top 2 in the space
below.
o Favorite Super Bowl ad from 2016:
o Second favorite Super Bowl ad from 2016:
III. Now view the 50 Best Super Bowl Commercials EVER: http://usat.ly/1S7Ylnt
A. Skim through the list and find 4 ads from different time periods: 1980s, 1990s, 2000s,
and 2010s. Choose the ones you like best and write your choices below.
o Favorite Super Bowl Commercial 1980 - 1989:
o Favorite Super Bowl Commercial 1990 - 1999:
o Favorite Super Bowl Commercial 2000 - 2009:
o Favorite Super Bowl Commercial 2010 – 2016:

ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS:
1. What, exactly, is the Super Bowl Ad Meter? When was it created? Who can
participate in the Ad Meter?
Look at the website “The Most Successful 2016 Super Bowl Ads…By The Numbers.”
http://bit.ly/20XgzJt. Now answer questions #2, 3 and 4.
2. Why do companies and advertisers want to have an ad air during the Super Bowl?
3. From a business point of view, which company was the “big winner” in Super Bowl 50?
How was this success measured?
OVER
4. Which other two companies were big winners during the Super Bowl? How many
“online ad views” did these companies record?
5. So, for many students, “Puppy/Monkey/Baby” was their favorite ad, yet it ranked #55
out of 63 on the 2016 Ad Meter. Why do you think this ad was so popular among
young people, but not as much with older viewers?
o Which of the 5 Key Questions of Media Literacy would explain this?
6. Which of the Super Bowl ads from the past 50 years is YOUR FAVORITE? Why
7. Go back and look again at your favorite Super Bowl ads from the past. FOR ONE AD,
identify the creative techniques that the ads use to attract/keep your attention (Media
Lit Key Question # 2).
Name/Date 0f Ad:
8. BONUS Question: Do you think Super Bowl ads have changed much since 1980?
Describe some of the differences you see in ads from the 1980s, 1990s or 2000s.
USA TODAY Ad Meter 2016 FAQ
Excerpted from USA TODAY Ad Meter -- “Ad Meter 2016 FAQ” on the USA TODAY Ad
Meter web site (http://admeter.usatoday.com/ad-meter-2016-faq/)
What is the USA TODAY Super Bowl Ad Meter?
It is the “foremost tracker of public opinion on Super Bowl ads.”
What is the history and significance of Ad Meter?
USA TODAY created the Super Bowl Ad Meter in 1989 to identify consumers’ opinions
about television’s most expensive commercials. The 2016 Ad Meter is the 28th (version)
and the results have become the industry-leading tool used to measure public opinion
surrounding Super Bowl ads.
Who can participate?
US citizens 18 years of age and older can participate. Participants DO NOT receive
incentives or payment. Interested panelists must register in advance at
admeter.usatoday.com. Participants will be asked for basic demographic information –
age, gender, income, zip code. Once they are accepted, they will receive the information
on how to vote on Super Bowl Sunday.
When does voting begin and end?
Voting for this year’s Super Bowl Ad Meter begins at noon EST, on Sunday, February 7
and ends following the game. All national ads that air from right after the coin toss through
the end of regulation play (including halftime) are voted on.
How does the voting work? How is the winner determined?
Each commercial will receive a rating by every panelist who votes. All panelists vote on
every ad. Average rating will be the total of all ratings divided by the number of users who
rated. The highest average rating will be the winner. The winner of the 2016 USA TODAY
Super Bowl Ad Meter will be declared at the end of voting on Sunday, February 7 at
admeter.usatoday.com and the results will also be printed in USA TODAY on Monday,
February 8.