Toyota Scores Big at the 2016 Kellogg School Super Bowl Advertising Review

EVANSTON, Ill., Feb. 7, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Toyota Prius led the strategic rankings with its "The Longest Chase" ad in the 12^th consecutive Kellogg School Super Bowl Advertising Review. Other brands that earned top marks include Budweiser, T-Mobile, Doritos, Audi and TurboTax.  Squarespace, LG and Acura received low grades for less effective ads.

"Toyota's Prius was a clear winner in this year's Super Bowl because it kept our attention, had strong linkage to the brand and showcased its benefits," said Derek D. Rucker, Sandy & Morton Goldman Professor of Entrepreneurial Studies in Marketing at Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.  "On the other hand, Squarespace ranked at the bottom of our Ad Review for the second year in a row. This is not a surprise as our panel found it both confusing and lacking a clear point of difference."

Many advertisers included humor or upbeat themes with only a few exceptions including Colgate, SunTrust and Audi.

"While many advertisers played it safe, our panel found most of the overall advertising worked well with strong branding and many companies communicated a clear point of difference," said Tim Calkins, Clinical Professor of Marketing at Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, who also leads the Review.

The Kellogg School Super Bowl Advertising Review uses a strategic academic framework known as ADPLAN to evaluate the effectiveness of Super Bowl spots. The acronym instructs viewers to grade ads based on Attention, Distinction, Positioning, Linkage, Amplification and Net equity.  

"As a student, getting to participate in Kellogg's Super Bowl Ad Review was a great experience to apply what we've learned in class," said Courtney Firestone, one of the 69 Kellogg MBA students who participated in the Ad Review panel.  

A full list of the rankings is available here.

To learn more about the Kellogg School Super Bowl Advertising Review, visit www.kellogg.northwestern.edu/news/superbowl/.

For more information about the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, visit www.kellogg.northwestern.edu.

SOURCE Kellogg School of Management

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