A side-by-side test of Apple and Samsung ads.
(Credit: Screenshot courtesy of Affectiva)
WALTHAM, Mass.–The makers of Wheat Thins cereal may have a hit Super Bowl commercial on their hands.
I believe this because I watched the ad on my computer while another computer watched me watching it over the Internet. The ad combined a box of Wheat Thins, night vision goggles, fear of Bigfoot when there should have been fear of the Yeti, and a thieving neighbor. It seems my “emotional valence” score — which can be roughly translated to mean my overall emotional reaction — while watching all this was unusually high, at least once the Yeti and the the thieving neighbor made their appearance.
I had no idea a Yeti and Wheat Thins were a powerful combination, but after running the ad through a Web demonstration by the 3-year-old company Affectiva, I’m forced to conclude that’s the case.
Welcome to the future of advertising, where the wisdom of spending a reported $4 million for a 30-second spot in the Super Bowl doesn’t have to be left to the imagination of an ad agency’s creative team and the honesty of focus groups.
When you turn on the the Super Bowl tomorrow and watch that game within the game — no, not Beyonce’s performance, I mean the ads — there’s a good chance that at least several of those pieces have been tested using Affectiva’s tools, which are being used by both Coca-Co… [Read more]