Believing that the Super Bowl ads are more popular in a social context than the actual game, USA Today wants to be present in the conversation by providing analysis of the ads. The publisher also wants to gain more engagement with the platform. 

 

?Super Bowl commercials are the original viral videos,? said Jamie Mottram, director of content development at USA Today, New York. ?More people talk about the ads on Monday morning than the game itself. USA Today Ad Meter has to be a mobile- and social-optimized experience, because that's how people consume, distribute and even discover the ads. 

?That's what we're accomplishing by redesigning Ad Meter with a mobile and social focus,? he said. ?For advertisers to get more out of their Super Bowl spending, their commercials must spread on mobile devices, especially via social platforms. 

?Having their ads on USA Today Ad Meter, where consumers are easily able to find and share them on a phone-friendly site, is one way to be sure of it.? 

The USA Today Ad Meter winner once again will be chosen by thousands of consumers across the country. 

New this year, registration to be a USA Today Ad Meter panelist is extended through the start of the third quarter of the Super Bowl. Participants will vote on a one-to-10 scale on every national ad airing from the coin toss through the end of the game, including halftime. 

Once registered, participants vote via a password-protected digital hub on Ad Meter.USAToday.com. Participants who register during the game will be allowed to vote on ads that already aired. 

Participation is open to U.S. citizens ages 18 and older.

Also new this year, participants will be able to share their votes via social media. The USA Today Ad Meter Web site has been redesigned to allow for social sharing. Participants can log in via their email address, Facebook or Google+ accounts to share their votes.

The redesigned Web site, built on the same platform as USA Today Sports? For The Win, and it is mobile-friendly, allowing users to vote and share content from their smartphones.

USA Today Ad Meter is expanding its collaboration with Adobe for the second year to provide in-depth analysis on the success of Super Bowl ads via social media chatter. Adobe Digital Index will offer data and instant analysis on which ads are resonating with consumers leading up to the game as marketers pre-release their ads. 

For the first time, Adobe will also partner with Ad Meter to examine the winning online ads and leading brands based on five criteria, including social media buzz volume, sentiment, ad spend, global reach and social media buzz growth compared to average daily volumes.

Super Bowl XLIX will be the 27th year for the USA Today Ad Meter.

USA Today has taken many steps to integrate mobile, such as testing the Yo platform for midterm election results last year.

A USA Today executive at the Mobile Women to Watch 2015 Summit said that the media company used mobile chat application Yo to deliver election updates.

During the ?How Mobile is Driving Newsroom Change and Innovation? session, the executive discussed the news provider?s mobile marketing strategy in regards to the delivery and presentation of content. Given Yo?s core audience tends to be a younger demographic, USA Today tested this platform to educate Yo users about the election and make the content more digestible (see story).

?USA Today Ad Meter has been the definitive source for rating Super Bowl ads for more than 25 years,? said Sandra Micek, senior vice president of marketing at USA Today, New York. ?From day one, this has always been of interest to our audience and is something that appeals to both football fans and non-fans. 

?As USA Today has grown, so to has the interest and participation in USA Today Ad Meter, both for consumers and advertisers,? she said. ?Ad Meter is another example of USA Today providing content that our audience wants.?