PRESS RELEASE from the
ILLINOIS POLICY INSTITUTE
MEDIA CONTACT:
Diana Rickert (312) 607-4977
or Daniel Anthony (773) 750-1031
 

 
CHICAGO (Feb. 3, 2013) – The results of the “Laugh, think, do" index of Super Bowl 47 commercials are in. This year, companies spent on average $3.5 million for each 30-second spot. Each competed to capture the hearts and minds of viewers across the country. There were more than 50 ads this year, and many advertisers chose to pre-release and/or tease their ads online.
 
And the winner of the “Laugh, Think, Do Index” of Super Bowl 47 ads is…drumroll…Ram Trucks: Farmer, which scored the highest on the “Laugh, think, do” index ad rating with a total score of 205. The ad was created by the Richards Group out of Dallas, Texas.
 
“The key to a compelling Super Bowl ad is to break through all the fray and get people’s attention. The Ram Farmer ad featuring an iconic poem shared by the late, great radio legend Paul Harvey, did just that,” says Daniel Anthony, vice president of marketing and communications at the Illinois Policy Institute. “It had a Laugh score of 5, a Think score of 10, and a Do score of 9. When this ad came on, I pushed my computer aside and just stopped and listened and took in the powerful imagery of some of our country’s most important workers. As soon as the ad was over I went onto Ram’s website and spent a good five minutes looking at the cause marketing efforts they had wrapped around this campaign and I even signed up to get regular updates on their campaign ‘Year of the Farmer’.”

The top 10 commercials of Super Bowl 47, ranked in order of their “Laugh, think, do” index scores:
1.    Ram Truck: Farmer – 205
2.    Taco Bell: Viva Young – 197
3.    M&Ms: Love Ballad – 185
4.    Samsung: The Big Pitch – 184.5
5.    Best Buy: Asking Amy – 169.5
6.    Lincoln Motor Company: Steer the Script - 169
7.    Doritos: Goat4Sale – 168.5
8.    Sodastream: Effect ¬– 168
9.    Oreo: Whisper – 164.5
10.  Bud Light: Journey – 163

ABOUT THE INDEX:
Daniel Anthony is the Vice President of Marketing and Communications at Illinois Policy Institute. Daniel is a former consultant with a division of Saatchi & Saatchi. He has helped develop communications strategies for some of the nation’s largest companies and most popular brands, including Coca-Cola, General Mills, NBC Universal, Walmart and Frito-Lay. He holds an MBA in international business from the Johns Hopkins University. After many years of watching and celebrating the super bowl ad frenzy, Daniel Anthony developed an index to rate them. The index uses a subjective and quantitative approach to rate the ads. Ratings don’t equal endorsements, but they are a fun and organized way for anyone to join in the ad rating frenzy. Here’s how it works: The index rates the ads in three categories: How much does it make you laugh and feel a certain happy emotion? How much does it make you think? And how much does it make you do or plan to do something? Each ad receives a rating of 1 to 10. Each category is weighted as such: Laugh: 7, Think: 8, Do:10.

WHAT DOES THIS HAVE TO DO WITH PUBLIC POLICY?
At the Illinois Policy Institute, we strive to transform liberty principles into marketable policies that become law. The ultimate sign of success is when free market ideas are turned into law and change lives for the better. What does this look like? Individuals and businesses become more prosperous without the fear of government favoritism or interference, families can choose a high quality education for their kids, and citizens respect their government because it is open and transparent to all.
 
What does this have to do with Super Bowl commercials? It’s pretty simple: To advance good policy and ultimately change laws in Illinois, we need to reach people’s hearts and minds. When a good policy idea lives in the heart and mind, there is a good chance that people will take action and do something.
 
Whether you’re marketing a solution to runaway state budgets or a new car, the challenge is similar: reach people’s hearts and minds, so they will think and ultimately do something.


For interviews, contact: Diana Rickert (312) 607-4977 or Daniel Anthony (773) 750-1031.

The Illinois Policy Institute is a nonpartisan research and education organization dedicated to making Illinois a beacon for liberty and prosperity for all citizens. As a leading voice for economic liberty and government accountability, the Institute engages policy makers, opinion leaders and citizens on the state and local level by promoting free market principles and liberty-based public policy initiatives for a better Illinois. To learn more about the Institute or review policy briefs, please visit: illinoispolicy.org.