The annual flood of data after the Super Bowl indicates that the commercials during the game that did best among consumers on television, online and in social media were feel-good spots meant to be uplifting, inspirational, nostalgic or patriotic. …
Still, polls and surveys suggest, there was sharp divergence over how two advertisers, Coca-Cola and Cheerios, defined terms like inspiration and patriotism. At issue were “It’s Beautiful,” in the second quarter, one of two commercials for Coca-Cola created by Wieden & Kennedy, and “Gracie,” in the first quarter, a commercial for Cheerios created by Saatchi & Saatchi New York. …
Over all, it must be noted, the positive reactions outweighed the negative, sometimes by lopsided margins. However, the backlash to the two commercials seemed sharper and more vituperative than to any other Super Bowl XLVIII spots. CONT.
Stuart Elliott, New York Times