ThinkTV and TRA’s bi-monthly viewer-led research has announced the top 10 viewer favourite ads on TV. Sky Sport’s ‘Life needs more sport’ fittingly came out on top for the summer period.
It’s the season for classic kiwi ‘summervertising’ and Sky Sport has nailed it with their latest ‘life needs more sport’ spot taking out NZ’s favourite TVC for January.
Steve Bayliss & Helen Fitzsimmons from Sky said “This was all about encapsulating the feeling of summer in a context relevant to a brand with sport at its centre. Deciding to make this ad was one of the easier creative calls we’ve made so far. Perhaps our only reservation was getting a great performance out of the star. The end result speaks for itself, our little hero combined with a sound track that makes you want to strap a surf board to the top of a VW Kombi delivered exactly the result we were after. A massive celebration of freedom and the joy of summer.”
The survey was implemented by Dynata, the worlds largest data and insight platform, who looked at a nationally representative sample of 1000 New Zealanders aged 18 to 60 years old. Conducted between 12 – 22 November, it asked respondents ‘what is your favourite ad on TV at the moment?’. TRA has also used Zavy social media analysis to see whether these ads are also getting people talking and what brands communicated well to viewers.
TRA Head of Strategy, Carl Sarney, provides commentary on the top ten favourite ads:
1. Sky Sport – Life Needs More Sport Summer
“What a recipe for New Zealand’s favourite ad; summer at the beach, sports, a good bit of ‘getting away with it’ humour, and a catchy soundtrack too. Sky Sport was spot on with this entertaining application of the kiwi cultural codes. Two-thirds of those who named this as their favourite ad are aged 45-60 and say they have traditional values. Three-quarters of them are from outside Auckland. Older regional audiences are important for Sky, so as the commentator says “Great steps son!”
It’s certainly started conversations, with mostly positive sentiment. Some YouTube commenters have called this “The best ad EVER!!!”
Public comments:
“Because it’s the funniest ad I’ve seen on TV for a long time”
“So humorous and true to life. The mischievous glint in the young boys eye is so adorable”
“It’s advertising one of my favourite products and it’s just done in a very clever way.”
“The little boy looks so cheeky when he’s doing it, knowing he’s being chased but they won’t catch him”
“It’s so cute and I know several little boys who would do exactly that”
2. Pak n’ Save – ‘Stickman’
“Continuing his long run as NZ’s funniest two-dimensional spokesperson, Stickman has a slight male skew in his appeal. All but one fan used ‘Pak n’Save’ in their description, so he’s working well to convert humour into brand building. Several people also mention that he’s quite helpful at informing them of what type of products are on sale too.”
Zavy social media analysis shows that not only is Stickman a loved character on TV, his appearances in social media regularly result in top performing posts.
Public comments:
“It tells me if anything is on special, so it’s worth it for me to visit the shop”
“His character is most often very funny and the use of other stick characters help to promote products and deals”
“They are funny and relevant regarding real savings for customers”
3. Trivago – ‘Wait, What?’
“A contentious ad at number 3. Some may find it irritating, and the Australian Federal Court found it misleading, but it’s doing enough things right to become one of New Zealand’s favourite ads right now.
Comments on YouTube would suggest that pure media weight may have driven this one up our rankings “This ad is being absolutely BOMBARDED on our tv lately [facepalm emoji]enough already” “I hate this ad – it’s on TV1 every 2 minutes and they’re all so smug I get so enraged”
This ad seems to be so well known and polarising that some survey respondents even referenced this ad to describe what their favourite ad was not “as opposed to that Trivago ad”
Public comments:
“I thought it was great acting especially the first woman who tries to hang onto her bank card”
“It’s memorable because of the old girl’s voice”
“Privileged white female getting owned”
“Made me want to look at the website”
“I felt great until last night’s news from Australia where they revealed that Trivago gives more emphasis on Hotels that pay for listing them first”
4. Lotto – ‘Lost Ticket’
“Marketers know that when their brand connects with people’s emotions it’s good for business …and what responses to this ad remind us of, is that connecting with people’s emotions is good for the audience too. Emotional storytelling is typically what we watch TV for in the first place. Lotto’s ad is both effective for the brand and rewarding for the audience.”
Zavy social media analysis shows 37 percent positive net sentiment, a strong result, with a strong share/likes ratio of 10 percent. Many commenters have called this one of Lotto’s best ads so far.
“Made me a little teary eyed and emotional”
“I thought it was a unique way to advertise lotto and makes you hopeful that there are some good people in the world”
“When she got home to NZ her friends rallied around her with help and support, I miss that feeling of closeness”
5. Cadbury – ‘Mum’s Birthday’
“For an ad with very little dialogue, people have a lot to say about this one. It has some of the longest most detailed descriptions from its fans, suggesting that the idea has really captured their imagination.”
“It is a heart-warming ad with lots of messages. It sends a message that kids should be more empathetic to the parents need. It shows a random act of kindness on the shop keepers part too.
“It’s so simple! Well acted. Good manners on behalf of both the little girl and especially the dairy owner who accepts toys as payment, seemingly knowing how important it is for the little girl who gives up her treasured toy collection…”
6. Specsavers – any mention
“The latest spot ‘Paws’ featuring a miffed moggy unable to reach his cat flap thanks to a short-sighted human is Specsavers first campaign intended to run in all of their global markets. Produced by Specsavers in-house creative team, the entirely visual humour seems to be connecting with a kiwi audience just as well as everywhere else around the world.”
Zavy social media analysis shows an overall positive brand sentiment. Their top post in the last 3 months was “Oh Santa… good luck making this ‘reindeer’ fly! #shouldve” – the ‘reindeer being a cow. This post had a strong 13 percent shares/likes ratio
“Very funny, my family and I always copy the funny face the cat makes at the end of the ad”
“The ad is funny yet it is relevant. There really is some truth to it”
“Obviously over the top but it makes you remember it’s from Specsavers”
7. AA Insurance – ‘Dinosaur vs Unicorn’
“More family-friendly humour that people enjoy relating to. People mentioned that they like the ‘Born Free’ song and that the catchy tune makes the ad stick in their head. Although it’s a likeable ad that’s recalled more than most ads on TV right now, the brand attribution is low, with some fans mistaking it for other insurance brands or bank brands.”
Zavy social media analysis shows that the imaginative execution depicts a highly relatable moment with many commenters sharing their own experiences of accidents caused by imaginary play in their homes
“Music stuck in my head. Very cute father/daughter combo. A bit different”
“This ad has a positive feel good vibe about it which makes you feel the same way about the company”
“Humorous, light hearted, easy to watch and not shouty”
8. Speights ‘The Dance’
Liked for its unique take on modern mateship, as well as the feature song, ‘Baby, it’s you’. All but two of those who mentioned this ad included ‘Speights’ in their description.
Zavy analysis shows that this ad is still a favourite and continues to hold a strong positive net sentiment of 26 percent with a very strong shares/like ratio of 25 percent. Many commenters called it a “great ad”.
“It has good humour, nice themes and is surprising because its takes the classic kiwi male and brings out character within that stereotype that we don’t normally see”
“It says that real mates will do anything for a friend”
“It had a good connection and drew me in”
9. TradeMe – ‘There’s someone for everything’
“Launched in September last year, this campaign has gained some momentum and is now a top ten favourite. People said they were drawn in by the cleverness of the dual dialogue that made them think a little bit harder than the average ad.”
Zavy social media analysis shows that people found these funny to watch and relatable. The ‘Motors’ execution was TradeMe’s top post with a very strong share/like ratio of 23 percent.
“Made me take notice and listen and pay more attention. Otherwise I would just ignore ads normally”
“It encapsulates the whole essence of TradeMe. Having something you find worthless could be something desirable to someone else”
“So funny. I always chuckle when I watch it”
10. McDonald’s – ‘milkshake dad’
(Short term promo, now not available on YouTube)
“Those who loved this ad said they could really relate to the scenario of friends and family singing in the car. Everyone who mentioned this ad included ‘McDonalds’ in their description.”
“I have a family which includes some car-singers and the idea of shutting them up with a milk shake has appeal”
“It made me want a milkshake”
“It made me happy and wanting to go and get some McDonalds”
For further information about the survey and results, contact [email protected]
