Class, online voters both pick Budweiser for top spot
An emotional commercial about a man and his horse has taken home the 10th annual Cocky Award. The award is chosen by students in the School of Journalism and Mass Communications’ class, “Super Bowl of Advertising.”
During a viewing party in the Coliseum Sunday night, students voted with iClickers on a 5-point scale in three categories: brand identity, likability and persuasiveness. An online poll for the public was also conducted.
The Budweiser ad, which depicted the relationship between one of the brand’s signature Clydesdales and the horse’s owner, took first place in all but one category; voters chose it as the overall winner as well as the most likeable and best in brand identity. It took second place for persuasiveness.
“Budweiser had great brand ID and had a sweet story,” advertising professor Bonnie Drewniany said in a release.
Drewniany has studied Super Bowl advertising for more than 20 years, and her course on the topic, which has been offered since 2003, is a popular choice for students in the School of Journalism and Mass Communications. It was her class of more than 100 who chose the best ads of Sunday night’s Super Bowl.
In the students’ vote, ads from Tide and Oreo came in at No. 2 and No. 3, respectively.. Online voters chosean advertisement by Dodge about farmers as the second place overall winner.
Students also chose the sentimental Budweiser ad over more celebrity-powered and over-the-top comedic ads. An advertisement for GoDaddy.com featuring a 10-second kiss between a model and a nerdy-looking young man ranked towards the bottom of the class’s picks
The class’s winner last year was an ad by Bud Light, also featuring an animal — a scruffy rescue dog named Weego. The ad was based on the beverage’s slogan, “Here we go.”
The advertising team behind this year’s winning ad will be invited to Columbia later this semester to claim the Cocky award, as well as speak to students in the College of Mass Communications and Information Studies.