London 2012 Watch: P&G's Olympics Campaign Does "Best Job" - Study

Brands spend millions to become official partners of the Olympics, and Ace Metrix says those sponsorships are worth it. Ace Metrix is the only company scoring every nationally airing US Olympic ad leading up to and during the games, and today announced their Olympic ad effectiveness program.

“We are thrilled to provide a 360 degree view of ad effectiveness for brands who have invested in Olympic sponsorships and Olympic themed ads,” said Peter Daboll, CEO of Ace Metrix, about its ranking of London 2012 marketing campaigns to date.

“The Olympics are a significant investment for any sponsor, and understanding the effectiveness of that sponsorship is critical in the era of marketing accountability," he added. "We are particularly interested in the data regarding the vital emotional elements associated with the Olympics. Understanding how the emotion of such a global event relates to the rational consumer processing that accompanies the vast majority of advertising will be fascinating."

P&G's "Thank You, Mom" London 2012 campaign is a clear winner, with three versions of its "Best Job" commercial making the top 10 list of Olympic ads so far, with a fourth for its Bounty brand; Sega, not an official sponsor, landing two ads in the top 10 for its London 2012 video game trailers; Coca-Cola scored two spots in the top 10; and TD Ameritrade and Visa ranked with one ad each.

Three of the ads making the top 10 — Coca-Cola's "Rebuild" and "Open the Games," and Bounty's "Trap and Lock" — feature U.S. gymnast Shawn Johnson, who recently retired and will be covering London 2012 games as a "correspondent" for sponsor P&G.

The Ace Metrix top 10 ranked by score:

1. 638 - P&G / Thank You, Mom - "Best Job" (debut May 8, 2012)

2. 631 - Sega / "Mario & Sonic at the London Olympics" (Feb. 18, 2012)

3. 623 - Coca-Cola / Shawn Johnson: "Rebuild" (June 20, 2012)

4. 622 - TD Ameritrade / Jonathan Horton promo (April 19, 2012)

5. 617 - Coca-Cola / "Olympic Games Memories Part 2" feat. Shawn Johnson (May 26, 2012)

6. 611 - P&G / Thank You, Mom - "Best Job" :30 (May 7, 2012)

7. 599 - Visa / "The Difference" :30 feat. Morgan Freeman v/o (June 25, 2012)

8. 595 - P&G / Thank You, Mom - "Best Job" :30 (May 7, 2012)

9. 593 - Sega / "Mario & Sonic at the London Olympics - 3DS" (Feb. 3, 2012)

10. 592 - P&G / Bounty - "Spills" feat. Shawn Johnson (Apr. 28, 2012)

To date, Ace Metrix has scored approximately 60 Olympic-themed campaigns: P&G has run the largest number of ads (25), followed by Coca-Cola (9), and TD Ameritrade (8). Its initial findings:

• Being an official sponsor matters. Olympic Sponsor ads are more effective than those advertisers who have Olympic athletes but are not actually sponsors (sometimes called “borrowed equity”). 
• While many ads were produced months ago, weaving in ‘as it happens’ performances by the athletes amplifies a lasting impression.
• Olympic sponsor P&G has the highest scoring ads to date mainly generated from the "Best Job" film at the center of its London 2012 “Thank You Mom” campaign, landing in the top 3% of all ads Ace Metrix surveyed for its ability to emotionally move its audience. 
• Coca-Cola has two top spots with their ads featuring Olympians Shawn Johnson, Jessica Long, and David Boudia. 
• Sega is leading the non-sponsor list with two high-scoring ads promoting their London 2012 video games. 
• TD Ameritrade is a surprise contender with a sponsorship ad featuring Olympian Jonathan Horton that scored 27% above the Financial category norm. 
• Visa’s 100% emotional appeal is powerful, delivering scores that are 50 to 70% higher than the average ad and among the top of the Olympics ads measured to date.

• Click here for more of our London 2012 Olympics coverage