
For the first time, two ads tied for the top Super Bowl commercial as selected by consumer panelists rating the ads as they aired in the game for USA TODAY'S 23rd annual exclusive Ad Meter. Both starred dogs acting like, well, people.
Doritos struck marketing gold Sunday night by using its now-familiar formula for creating best-liked Super Bowl spots: let its customers make them. All its ads were consumer-created, and the winner featured a guy who pays big-time for teasing a hungry pug dog with Doritos. It was rated as the co-winner by the Ad Meter panelists.
But never count out a king — at least, not one with a funny bone.
After losing its Midas touch for two years, Anheuser-Busch, the King of Beers and a longtime Ad Meter leader, is back on the throne as co-reigning king of Super Bowl advertising. A Bud Light ad featuring a dog sitter who gets the canines to cater his party tied for the top spot. It aired late in the fourth quarter.
For Anheuser-Busch, which has watched its brands' images and market share erode in recent years, it was a return to glory. A-B used to win Ad Meters the way Vince Lombardi won football games. A-B won 10 consecutive Ad Meters from 1999 through 2008.