Super Bowl Commercials With Hashtags Slipped To 50% In 2015

Fifty percent of 2015 Super Bowl ads carried hashtags, a bit of a slip from the record 57% during the 2014 game. Facebook was the social network most mentioned, though mentions of specific social networks were again very sparse.

The numbers are from our fourth annual Hashtag Bowl count of social media mentions during the Super Bowl. We only counted ads shown nationally, and only ads from after the kick-off until the game was over.

Promos for shows on NBC, which carried the Super Bowl, were not included. Our scoreboard at the top of this article has the final count, but here’s the summary with percentages, based on a total of 56 national ads reviewed.

The Count & Facebook’s Second Win

• Hashtags: 28 total, 50% of ads overall
• Facebook: 4 total, 7.1% of ads overall
• Twitter: 3 total, 5.3% of ads overall
• Snapchat: 1 total, 1.8% of ads overall
• URLs: 25 total, 44.6% of ads overall

For the second year running, Facebook edged past Twitter to be the most mentioned social network.

Snapchat Debuts In “Pitch Perfect 2” Ad

Mentions of specific social networks were rare again — with Facebook and Twitter each slipping one mention compared to 2014. Last year, Instagram got a single mention. This time, Snapchat got the nod. The messaging app with the large, young audience was included at the end of a commercial for Universal’s “Pitch Perfect 2.” Pitch Perfect also gave Facebook one of its mentions.

T-Mobile, Avocados Go With The Big 2

While most brands didn’t mention social networks, T-Mobile once again included both Facebook and Twitter in both of its ads, accounting for half the Twitter mentions and two of the five mentions of Facebook.

Avocados From Mexico joined T-Mobile, mentioning the two majors:

Running Order Of Ads

Here’s the running order of commercials counted. For each commercial, if there was a hashtag, this is shown. If there was any type of social media or other mention, that’s also listed. Ads that carried URLs to their own sites are also noted:

1. Toyota: #OneBoldChoice
2. TurboTax
3. Game of War (iTunes, Google Play, Amazon)
4. “Tomorrowland” Disney Pictures (URL)
5. BMW: #HelloFuture (URL)
6. “Minions”
7. Snickers: #EatASnickers
8. Carnival Cruises (URL)
9. Skittles: #SettleIt
10. Lexus: #LexusNX
11. T-Mobile: #Uncarrier, #KimsDataStash (Facebook, Twitter and URL)
12. Budweiser: #BestBuds
13. Nationwide (URL)
14. Terminator Genisys (URL)
15. Coca-Cola: #MakeItHappy
16. Avocados From Mexico: #FirstDraftEver (Facebook and Twitter)
17. “Fast & Furious: Supercharged” Universal Pictures (URL)
18. Dove Care+Men: #RealStrength
19. Doritos: #Doritos
20. Nissan: #WithDad
21. Nationwide: #MakeSafeHappen (URL)
22. Weight Watchers (URL)
23. WeatherTech (URL)
24. McDonalds
25. Esurance: #sorta (URL)
26. Fiat Chrysler: #500X (URL)
27. GoDaddy: #GoDaddy
28. Discover Card (URL)
29. Microsoft: #empowering
30. Squarespace (URL)
31. NoMore.org (URL)
32. Toyota: #oneboldchoice
33. “Pitch Perfect2” (Facebook, Snapchat)
34. Always: #likeagirl
35. Geico
36. Skechers
37. Clash of Clans
38. Sprint (URL)
39. Lexus: #LexusRC (URL)
40. Microsoft: #empowering
41. Dodge
42. Kia (URL)
43. Jublia (URL)
44. T-Mobile: #uncarrier, #wificalling (Facebook, Twitter and URL)
45. Budweiser
46. Jeep (URL)
47. “Ted 2” (URL)
48. Mophie: #staypowerful
49. Loctite: #winatglue
50. Bud Light: #upforanything
51. Mercedes: #TheBigRace (URL)
52. “50 Shades of Grey” (URL)
53. Doritos: #Doritos
54. Wix.com: #ItsThatEasy (URL)
55. Victoria’s Secret
56. Heroes Charge (iTunes, Google Play, Amazon)

Who Won The Super Bowl? Stay Tuned

Now that you’ve seen the count of hashtag use and other mentions, you’re likely wondering who won in terms of brands. Well, stay tuned. Figuring out winners is complicated, but we’ll be working on that in our follow-up coverage here on Marketing Land.

Determining a loser, however, is a bit easier. And the top candidate? Nationwide and its off-putting spot that unexpectedly killed off a kid. You can read more about that here: Nationwide’s Eerie #MakeSafeHappen Super Bowl Ad Gets Grave Reviews

And if you want to watch the Super Bowl ads again, we’ve got them all in one place here.

About The Author

Martin Beck

Martin Beck was Third Door Media's Social Media Reporter from March 2014 through December 2015.