The 2024 Super Bowl: Which Brands Won?

The 2024 Super Bowl has delivered a grand show once again. The Kansas City Chiefs took the trophy, but there was another battle going on. The ads! Companies spend at least $7 million to advertise at the big game, and that’s only to get a 30-second spot. (Source: Super Bowl ad costs)

Is it worth it?

You would expect that the most streamed and watched event every year in the US would definitely be a valuable place for marketers to showcase their products and brands. We at Veylinx decided to put it to the test once again to see if the ads truly do drive increased demand.

Read about the ads' performance at the 2023 Super Bowl here.

What we measure

How did we measure the effect of Super Bowl ads on consumer purchase behavior?

Veylinx conducted a behavioral study in February 2024 to measure how Super Bowl commercials affect purchase behavior. The research tested consumer demand for 16 products before and after the 2024 Super Bowl: 8 advertisers and 8 non-advertisers.

Using Veylinx's unique behavioral methodology based on the Nobel Prize-winning Vickrey auction, study participants placed bids with their own money on products in a randomized sequential auction. The auction included a mix of products that were and were not featured in Super Bowl commercials. After bidding, participants completed a short questionnaire to reveal additional behavior and attitudes.

The results

Super Bowl ads this year drove a 16% increase in demand for the products advertised, with the increased demand fueled primarily by men. The best-performing brand was Doritos Dinamita, followed by Michelob Ultra, and in third place, e.l.f Halo Glow Liquid Filter.

Fourteen percent of study participants watched the game for the first time this year, and nearly half of those first-time viewers were Gen Z. A majority of participants said they tuned in mainly to watch the game itself (54%), followed by 19% who said they watched for the pre-game and halftime entertainment. Fourteen percent watched the game primarily for the advertisements, and 5% watched the Super Bowl mainly to catch a glimpse of Taylor Swift.

The favorite ad

When participants were asked in the post-auction questionnaire which commercial was their favorite, Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups was the winner, with 22% of participants ranking it first, followed by Doritos Dinamita (19%) and Mtn Dew Baja Blast (16%). However, somewhat surprisingly, demand for Reese’s actually declined after the Super Bowl: another fascinating example of actual behavior telling a different story from sentiment.