SUPER BOWL ADVERTISING 2017 TEASER REPORT

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1 SUPER BOWL ADVERTISING 2017 TEASER REPORT

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3 Just Another Ranking? Not This Time. The Neuroscience of Advertising In Super Bowl LI, the New England Patriots came away with an unprecedented win. Meanwhile, the verdict is still out on who won the $385 million question - Which was the best ad? It seems the answer depends on who you ask. According to the premiere social media activity ranking site, the Netflix Stranger Things ad ranked #1! And yet, according to the premier survey-based ranking site, that same ad came in #49 (out of 66). Meanwhile, if you read headlines from numerous advertising pundits, you get every opinion under the sun. Our research asks a different question: Was the ad truly engaging? With the most pure and granular measures, we determine the extent to which each ad captivates attention, enchants imagination, or stirs emotions. At SPARK Neuro we go straight to the source - reading the human brain and nervous system. We ran a large scale study using our neuroscience technology to measure attention and emotion.

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5 The Importance of Neurometrics Industry standard research methods no longer cut it. Self-reported data like surveys and focus groups, suffer from biases, lack granularity, and miss the subconscious nature of emotion. The advertising industry needs a more precise, quantifiable and actionable approach that measures the quality of engagement itself. That s our purpose. How SPARK Neuro Works We conducted live neurological tests during Super Bowl parties as well as in lab conditions. Our testing system reads data from multiple sensors for the most accurate result: Brain activity using an electroencephalogram (EEG) Emotional arousal using galvanic skin response (GSR) Facial reactions through micro-facial expression detection Eye movements using retina tracking Next, our proprietary algorithm converts the thousands of data points per second into 2 easy-to-understand measurements: One for attention and one for emotion. The algorithm is complicated, so that we can make the results simple.

6 SPARK Neuro measures real human reactions, not just what people say.

7 Two Simple Metrics Attention SPARK Neuro scores attention between 0 and 10. A 0 is totally tuned out and is a 10 means that you are so engaged almost nothing could pull you away. It s that simple. the neutral zone (close to 0) and to spend more time at the extremes, whether positive or negative. Negative emotions do not translate to disliking an ad. Quite the opposite! An ad that can make you feel fear is often telling a great story. If a tree falls in the woods and nobody is around to hear it, did it make a sound? If an ad plays on TV and no one is paying attention, did it even air? You want people to remember and be affected by your ads, which requires their attention. Emotion is deeply correlated with motivation and decision-making. People like to think we are rational beings, but whether we call it our gut, our intuition, or our instincts, emotions play a major role in every decision we make as human beings. Emotion SPARK Neuro scores emotion between -10 (negative emotions: fear, anger, sadness, etc.) and +10 (positive emotions: joy, love, relief etc.), with 0 being emotionally neutral. Unlike attention, where higher scores are better, emotional scores are more complex. The goal is typically to avoid long periods in If you want to improve brand perception or sell your product, you need to evoke strong emotions.

8 Attention : Bai, Bye bye Bye A beautiful attention curve from a top 5 Super Bowl ad. More analysis on this later. Emotion : Bai, Bye bye Bye Quite the emotional journey. More on the Bai ad analysis later.

9 It s How You Use It That Counts... Advertising is an opportunity for brands. It s a chance to tell a story, to change minds, to gain exposure, and to spark action. At SPARK Neuro, our goal is to optimize that opportunity and make creative outputs as impactful as they can be. We look for the causes of increased engagement, effective emotional swings, unique storytelling arcs, drama, tension, and various types of humor. We use this information to explain what works (best practices) and what doesn t (key learnings). We tested dozens of Super Bowls ads, ranked them from top to bottom, and analyzed for best practices. Bye Bye Bye by Bai ranked in the Top 5. Find out why. Here is a snippet.

10 Bye Bye Bye / Bai This ad is effective in its use of quirky humor, cultural nostalgia, and brand placement. Each moment is unpredictable and nonsensical, producing curiosity in the viewer all the way through to the end when the brand is revealed with a kick SECONDS Agency : Bai Brand Experience Group Immediate Intrigue Hooks the Viewer Seconds 0-4: Well known actor Christopher Walken sits in silence, then audibly inhales with anticipation, and begins to whisper. Everything about this scene is odd and intriguing. Where is he? Why is he there? Why is it so quiet? And why is he whispering with such intensity? Curiosity causes attentiveness, and SPARK Neuro data shows strong viewer attention from the start of this ad. We also see a major emotional spike at 2-4 seconds just as the whispering begins. That s no coincidence... The Psychology of Whispering Multiple elements described above evoke curiosity, hence the rise in attention seen in the neurological data. The attention peak, however, is greater than one might expect. Moreover, there is a major positive emotional spike despite the fact that the scene itself is not particularly emotional. There is something more at play here. Whispering is a uniquely human capability with a uniquely human response.

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12 The Attention of Whispering Imagine a public speaker on stage delivering a rousing speech. The crowd is somewhat attentive, but there is still some chatter amongst the audience, demonstrating a lack of full engagement. The speaker then shifts from his boisterous tone to a soft whisper, nice and close to the mic. The audience immediately stops jabbering and tunes in, hanging on every word. Whispering does that to us. First there is the intrigue of contrast brought on by a change in volume. Then there is the practical need to quiet down in order to listen to a softer voice. Most of all, we are conditioned as human beings to tune in to the contents of a whisper; it s secretive, it s important, and it s targeted just for you. The Emotion of Whispering Have you ever heard a sound that felt good? Like physically felt good? Many people hear certain sounds and report a physical sensation, a tingling that begins at the scalp and makes it s way down the back of the neck and upper spine. It is relaxing and pleasurable all at once. It s called autonomous sensory meridian response (ASMR), which has recently been the subject of multiple neuroscience studies and a host of youtube channels with tens of millions of viewers (Google it!). Whispering is the number one sound to stimulate this psychological phenomena. Different people feel this with different levels of intensity, from slight relaxation to euphoria or even sexual arousal. We went there. Sorry. It s no wonder this ad started with such an engaged emotional response. A Laugh of Relief and Recognition At seconds 8-13, we hear It might sounds crazy, but it ain t no lie baby. Bye Bye Bye. This segment coincides with many of our participants cracking a smile as they began to recognize the song lyrics to Bye Bye Bye. A peak in viewer attention at 12 seconds matches that moment of recognition. While some participants caught on early, others didn t make that connection until the big giveaway at second 22, another attention peak. The Psychology of Recognition The human brain has special functions built in to support recognizing familiar things. Recognizing faces is a particularly special human ability and is marked by specific cognitive patterns. Recognizing Christopher Walken s and Justin Timberlake s faces brings about that process.

13 Meanwhile, the cognitive neuroscience of visual recognition isn t the only thing at play here. Those words! They sound so familiar! But what are they? Recognition is typically aided by context. Your brain connects the dots faster when there are more contextual cues to bring it home. Here, however, the context of the scene is entirely unrelated to the contents of the lyrics. This creates a puzzle for the brain. mechanism. Attention is high as the brain tries to retrieve the source of familiarity. Puzzles are fun! That s why attention and emotional engagement increase as synapses fire throughout the brain trying to retrieve the source of familiarity. Finally, recognition is charted in the brain as a single, intense aha! or eureka moment! Instead of relying on context, the brain goes a different route, the neurological processes associated with familiarity, a context-free

14 The Tension of Silence For nine entire seconds (13-22), not a word is spoken. Such a long silence is a risk. Attention starts to wane, but as you can see in the emotion graph, the risk was well worth it. Tension builds (negative emotion) and then is relieved (positive emotion). Such a strong emotional swing at seconds is a major achievement. Nostalgia Hits Home Christopher turns to look at someone off screen, revealing that he is actually not alone. Who could the other person be? It s Justin Timberlake, and oh my god, remember when he was in that boy band and sang that super popular song!?!? At seconds 15-16, viewer engagement increases again when Justin Timberlake is revealed. Our post-questionnaire contains multiple comments regarding the nostalgia surrounding JT and NSYNC s cultural phenomena. The Psychology of Nostalgia Nostalgia is typically a joyous feeling, but often with a hint of sadness (longing for the good ol days!). These complex emotions that cross positive and negative boundaries create especially strong emotional engagement. Nostalgia is also powerful in its ability to increase social connectedness, further increasing engagement. Memories connect people and in this case viewers in groups bond over the familiarity and feelings of something from the past. The Surprise of Nothing! Most people love a mystery and love to be surprised. Here, plenty of mystery has been established and the viewer is curious about what this ad is all about. They have been waiting eagerly for an explanation, and they almost get one when Justin pauses as if he is about to respond and explain it all. Expectation, and therefore attention, goes up here, rising steadily from seconds as we stare at a silent JT. The biggest surprise of all, he says nothing, and the scene just ends! It s funny again... because the emotional expectation is met with something completely different. Incongruity is a source of humor. No Music? Wait for it! The ad does not incorporate background music for 22 straight seconds. This is rare and risky, but worked phenomenally well. Nothing but faint, muted sounds of a crackling fire make up the soundscape. When the music comes in at 23 seconds, the emotion and attention

15 peaks both push even further up. Those are very high numbers. When You Got em in the Palm of your Hand, Strike! At second 24, the moment of the brand and product reveal, attention remains high. By making the choice to reveal the brand during this peak moment, the product is not easy to forget. Engagement & Memory In subsequent surveys of our respondents, we confirm that the peak of engagement coinciding with the logo reveal, plus the connection of Bai to Bye, made this one of the most memorable brands of the Super Bowl. Contrast this with Kia, a commercial that was remembered, but for a brand that was often forgotten. Brand awareness increase for Bai - check! Many brands fail to accomplish this, leading to ads that are remembered alongside brands that are forgotten. Not Bai.

16 1 2 1 A Strong Hook Well known actor Christopher Walken sits in silence, then audibly inhales with anticipation, and begins to whisper! The power of a whisper, a celebrity, and a nonsensical situation result in curiosity and high attentiveness. 2 A Search for Recognition It might sounds crazy, but it ain t no lie baby. Bye Bye Bye. [0:08-0:13] Wait a minute. That sounds familiar! What is it?!? Attention peaks. [Unprecedented dramatic pause wait for it wait for it.] Justin Timberlake appears [0:16] for another peak and

17 4 3 3 The Tension of Silence [Keep waiting keep waiting ] Such a long silence [0:13-0:22] is a risk. Attention starts to wane, but as you can see in this emotion graph, the risk was well worth it! Tension builds (negative emotion) and then is relieved (positive emotion). Such a strong emotional swing [0:17-0:23] is a major achievement and often sparks laughter. 4 Cue Music! The only music in this ad comes at the end [0:22], perfectly timed to relieve any remaining tension and to announce the brand.

18 5 6 5 The Surprise of Nothing! The viewer has been waiting eagerly for an explanation, and they almost get one. The biggest surprise of all: JT says nothing, and the scene just ends! Emotion drives attention. 6 Cue Brand! The brand appears [0:23] while attention is still high! In subsequent questionnaires, this brand, Bai, was among the most remembered of any ad. High attention during a brand reveal is critical! Meanwhile, Bai meets Bye is the kicker.

19 We hope you learned something. It s our mission to educate the industry about the psychology of advertising.

20 This is just a teaser. The full report contains ad rankings 1-30, rankings by industry (e.g. automotive, beverage, etc.), rankings by ad style (e.g. humor, drama, etc.), full analysis of the top 10 ads, best practices and key learnings gleaned from Super Bowl ad performance, and education on the psychology of advertising. Have we sparked your interest? Reach out! info@sparkneuro.com (212) Spark Neuro 2017