By releasing a Super Bowl ad, companies hope to get you talking about their products and hope to make you want to go and purchase their products. With the Super Bowl 50 just about to kick off, it’s the perfect time to take a look back and see which ads had the biggest impact throughout the years.

Ace Metrix, the leader in measuring the impact of video advertising, just released a list of the Top 25 Most Liked Super Bowl Ads of the last five years (2011 through 2015). Microsoft made it on the list twice, with its "Empowering" ad from 2014 and its "Braylon O’Neil" ad from 2015.

“Every advertiser on this list should be highly commended for achieving creative gold and shaping the future of advertising,” said Peter Daboll, CEO of Ace Metrix.

Ace Metrix Top 25 Most Liked Super Bowl Ads
for the past 5 years, 2011 – 2015.

25. Pepsi Max – Torpedo Cooler (2011)




23. Volkswagen – The Force (2011)




23. RadioShack – Good Bye '80s (2014)




21. Bud Light – Dog Sitting (2011)




21. Microsoft – Braylon O’Neill (2015)




20. Mercedes Benz – Fable (2015)




19. Got Milk – Morning Run (2013)




18. Pepsi Max – Love Hurts (2011)




17. Snickers – The Brady Bunch (2015)




16. Doritos – Goat 4 Sale (2013)




15. Bridgestone Tires - Carma (2011)




14. Doritos – Man’s Best Friends (2012)




13. Toyota – Joy Ride (2014)




11. Doritos – When Pigs Fly (2015)




11. McDonald’s – Pay With Lovin’ (2015)




10. M&M’s – Just My Shell (2012)




9. Doritos – Pug Attack (2011)




8. Bud Light – Rescue Dog (2012)




7. Microsoft – Empowering (2014)




6. Budweiser – Hero’s Welcome (2014)




5. Coca-Cola – The Catch (2012)




4. Doritos – Slingbaby (2012)




3. Budweiser – Lost Dog (2015)




2. Budeweiser – Brotherhood (2013)




1. Budweiser – Puppy Love (2014)



“The King of Beers has earned another crown by becoming the King of Super Bowl advertising through the creation of ads that so effectively appeal to the largest, most demographically diverse TV audience in the world,” said Peter Daboll, CEO of Ace Metrix. “As Super Bowl ads have evolved in tone, length and appeal from some of the iconic ads of yesteryear, comparing ads from the last half decade to those older legends is no longer apples-to-apples. Brands today have to think about the life of their ad prior to and beyond television with the proliferation of digital distribution and social media.”


Microsoft’s ads showcase how Super Bowl themes are changing

For the past five years, Super Bowl ads have gotten longer and their themes have shifted from humor to inspiration, sentimentality, and patriotism. While humor in ads has decreased by 13%, inspirational messages have increased by 19%. Microsoft’s “Empowering” and “Braylon O’Neill” ads are representative for this shifting trend.


In related news...

According to YouTube, companies that post their ads on YouTube before the Super Bowl, get 2.2x more views than companies that wait until Game Day to post their ads. Ace Metrix confirms this trend, saying that the number of ads released ahead of time has gone up from 8% in 2011 to 61% in 2015.

Companies use social media or teasers to release their ads ahead of the Super Bowl. Speaking about teasers, you can watch teaser videos for upcoming Super Bowl ads on YouTube AdBlitz. The website is home to teaser videos, original football-themed videos, and all the ads from the Super Bowl 50.