Olympic Final Tally: Here Are the Best Video Ads of the Rio Games

The Rio de Janeiro Games are over and now it's time to figure out who won. No, we're not talking about countries or athletes; we're talking about ads!

Last week, Ace Metrix provided a mid-Games report, looking at what ads were doing the best at connecting with consumers. Ace uses its proprietary Ace Score to tally the players, looking at factors such as Likability and Attention. Now that the Olympics are over, Ace is back with an all new list, a final tally for the full 17 days.

Many of the ads featured Olympic athletes, and Ace notes that the loveable Simone Biles, Kerri Walsh-Jennings, and Missy Franklin were featured in multiple spots that scored high with viewers. It also found that emotionally charged ads did well. Some ads tugged at the heartstrings, some roused admiration, and some were just hilarious.

"The brands that saw the most success with their Rio ads connected with consumers by telling inspirational stories that struck a personal chord, often weaving in athletes that they grew to love during the games," notes Peter Daboll, CEO at Ace Metrix. "Some used humor or attention-grabbing visuals, but for the most part, these ads were uplifting and had universal appeal."

Ads from official Olympics sponsors typically performed far stronger than ads from non-sponsors. "Even with the Rule 40 change this year allowing more leeway for non-sponsors to air ads, we see that brands that invest in Olympic sponsorship make sure their ads deliver," Daboll notes.

The top 10 ads of the Rio Olympics:

1. Procter & Gamble, Thank You, Mom - Strong


2. Dick's Sporting Goods, The Contenders :60


3. Samsung, The Anthem - Rio 2016 Olympic Games


4. Bounty, Allyson Felix: Faster Than Chloe


5. Dick's Sporting Goods, Vault. Sleep. Repeat. (:60)


6. Gatorade, Never Lose the Love


7. United, One Journey. Two Teams.


8. Hershey's, U.S. Olympic Hopeful Hello From Home


9. Hershey's, Hello From Home U.S. Olympic Wrestler


10. Nike General Apparel, Unlimited You

Troy Dreier's article first appeared on OnlineVideo.net