BMW ‘Walken’ Away With Most-Liked Super Bowl TV Ad

Christopher Walken is subjected to impressions of himself in BMW’s “Talkin Like Walken,” which was not only the most-liked auto ad of the 2024 Super Bowl, but the most-liked spot out of all the Big Game commercials, according to iSpot’s Creative Assessment. A majority of respondents cited the characters as the single best thing about the commercial, while 54% of surveyed viewers reported increased purchase intent (aka, positive purchase intent) after viewing the spot. 

While many Super Bowl advertisers go for laughs in their spots, Volkswagen decided to harness its history with its “An American Love Story” featuring archival footage of the VW Beetle through the decades. The approach worked, with viewers ranking it the No.2 most-liked Super Bowl ad across all industries. Aptly, “nostalgia” was the top emotional response from viewers, and the commercial prompted a 47% increase in purchase intent. 

The ’24 Tacoma zooms across rugged terrain in Toyota’s “Dareful Handle” spot, which ranked fifth for likeability across all Super Bowl commercials. As they’re jolted around, passengers hold on tight to what the ad dubs the “shut the front door” and “whoa whoa whoa” handle. Survey respondents cited the visual scenes as the single best thing about the commercial, with 49% reporting positive purchase intent. Additionally, the spot had a brand recognition score of 88%. 

Kia was the only other automaker that advertised during the 2024 Super Bowl, and it took a heartfelt angle. In “Perfect 10,” a homebound grandfather is able to see his granddaughter ice skate outside his window thanks to the electric capabilities of the ’24 EV9. Of the surveyed viewers, 24% cited the visual scenes as the single best thing about the ad. Looking at brand recognition, the spot scored 84%. 

Data provided by iSpot.tv, The New Standard for TV Ad Measurement

Likability: Measures the extent to which survey respondents like a video ad. 

Positive Purchase Intent: The percent of Creative Assessment survey respondents that reported an increased desire to purchase or visit a given brand or product after watching an ad.

Brand Recognition: Measures the strength of a brand’s and/or product’s presence in the creative. Equals the percent of survey respondents that accurately identified a brand (unaided) after watching an ad. A difference of +/-3% is statistically significant.The norm is 74% taking in account the last five Super Bowls.

Top Emotion: Creative Assessment measures 57 emotional reactions to an ad derived from viewer verbatim comments. The Top Emotion represents the reaction with the strongest signal and is at minimum stronger than 75% of all ads for that specific emotion.

Single Best Thing: Creative Assessment survey respondents are asked to choose their favorite aspect about the ad. Options include: Characters, Visual Scenes, Music, Brand, Product Itself, Deal or Offer, Message and None.