London, June 7, 2019. New research from marketing research and effectiveness company, System1, has revealed the 10 most effective consumer packaged goods (CPG) TV ads that have aired in the US during 2019.
System1 has analyzed every consumer packaged goods ad aired this year using its Ad Ratings platform which uses the emotional response that consumers have ads to predict long- and short-term growth potential.
The results show that when it comes to winning CPG ads, sharing beats out selfish consumption. 80% of the top 10 ads focus on the product’s impact on the community or family relationships, rather than the consumer themselves, with a particular focus on how the product will benefit others through sharing.
Hershey’s is the undisputed champion of consumer packaged goods TV advertising so far in 2019. It has three ads placing within the top 10, including first and second position. The confectioner’s top two ads ‘Heartwarming’ and ‘Giving Smiles’ scored 5.9 stars and 5.8 stars respectively. ‘Heartwarming’ shows a 94 year old buying Hersheys to share with local children, while ‘Giving Smiles’ shows two men from New Jersey handing out Hershey’s bars in their community with a reminder for the recipients to smile. Likewise, Hershey’s’ ad ‘The Gathering’ (4.9 stars) depicts the excitement at a community gathering, particularly of a young girl holding her mother’s hand, when they reveal s’mores made with Hershey’s bars.
Hormel’s ‘Good Connection’, Pedigree’s ‘Simply The Best’, Dole’s ‘Generation Snack’ and SunMaid also placed within the top 10 and focused on community, families and sharing. While Hormel’s ad (in joint third position along with Shari’s Berries ‘Delicious Sweet’ scoring 5.7 stars) depicted a young boy sharing his sandwich with his deaf classmate, Pedigree’s ad which scored 5.5 stars, shows the happiness of a young girl in hospital being visited by a dog. The voiceover says, ‘Dogs bring out the good in us, Pedigree brings out the good in them’ suggesting that feeding your dog Pedigree dog feed will help bring others joy.
By focusing on community and family impact, the ads spark more emotion, appealing to the consumer not because of how their product can help them directly, but how it can help them bring joy to others.
Jocelyn Simon, Head of Ad Ratings USA, commented: “The consumer packaged goods (CPG) category is often associated with indulgence – particularly in areas like ice cream and confectionery. As consumers demand healthier goods, indulgence becomes more problematic. What we’re seeing more this year are ads that focus on the pleasure treats bring to others, not to ourselves.”
Within the top 10, the only two ads that focused predominantly on the product were Shari’s Berries ‘Delicious Sweet’ ad which came in joint third position with a score of 5.7 stars and Magnum Ice Cream’s ‘Great Taste’ ad, which scored 5.1 stars.
Overall, despite the high scores in the top 10, within the consumer packaged goods category 42.8% of ads are scoring just 1 star, meaning those ads create zero extra growth potential. Just 0.9% of consumer packaged goods ads score 5 stars – pointing to exceptional potential to amplify investments.
Full Ranking of top 10 Ads
Hershey’s ‘Heartwarming’
Hershey’s ‘Giving Smiles’
Shari’s Berries ‘Delicious Sweet’
Hormel ‘Good Connection’
5. Pedigree ‘Simply The Best’
6. SmileDirectClub ‘The Beauty In Smiling’
7. Dole ‘Generation Snack’
7. SunMaid ‘Childhood Memories’
9. Magnum Icecream ‘Fantastic Taste’
10. Hershey’s ‘The Gathering’
Methodology
The System1 benchmarking tool Ad Ratings measures the emotions an ad generates in the consumer and the intensity of that emotional resonance. This leads to a Star Rating – a 1-5 Star scale (which can be subdivided for greater nuance).
The Star Rating predicts long-term brand growth. It measures the potential for creative quality to act as an amplifier for investment. Given equal relative investment (10 points of ESOV) 1-Star will lead to 0% brand growth; 2-Stars is 0.5%; 3-Stars is 1%; 4 is 2%; and 5-Stars is 3%-plus.
The prediction side of the tool has been independently validated with the help of the IPA. Using submissions to the IPA Effectiveness Awards, one of the most robust submission procedures in the industry, emotional engagement was cross-referenced with real-world brand growth in various categories, and the system was then modelled on those results.
About System1
System1 Group PLC [LON: SYS1], formerly BrainJuicer, has pioneered the use of behavioural science to produce and predict marketing guaranteed to drive profitable growth. System1 Group was founded in 2000 by CEO John Kearon, and is publicly traded on London's AiM (Alternative Investment Market). System1 has pioneered the use of behavioural science to better predict marketing that guarantees profitable growth. It’s been named ‘Most Innovative Company’ by GreenBook (6 years in a row), Best Research Agency by Marketing Magazine and twice received ESOMAR's Best Methodology award. System1 Group is headquartered in London with offices across Europe, in North America, Brazil, Singapore, and Australia. For more information go to www.system1group.com.
For further information, please contact Jocelyn Senior at Keen as Mustard Marketing, [email protected], 07967 098567.