UC marketing class featured in Super Bowl Ad Meter School Spotlight
Lindner College of Business students rate the big game ads alongside industry professionals
University of Cincinnati’s Lindner College of Business was one of just 16 institutions representing USA Today’s Ad Meter School Spotlight program, where students had the opportunity to evaluate Super Bowl ads and publish their findings alongside industry professionals.
The students' top-rated commercials largely aligned with Ad Meter’s official rankings, with Budweiser's "American Icons" earning the highest score.
"This ad is perfect," student Emmit Orlowski told USA Today. "It encapsulates the true American spirit, from the famous Budweiser Clydesdale to the American icon, the bald eagle."
The participants included over 300 students across two marketing classes taught by assistant professor-educator Summer Shelton. She came to the University from a marketing research firm and brings experience ranking Super Bowl commercials as an industry professional herself.
The students’ lowest-ranking ads not only closely followed the official rankings, but offered insight into the outlook of younger generations on current trends.
"From talking with students about our bottom five, a lot of our lowest rated ads were those using AI or promoting AI, or those that were promoting GLP-1 medications," Shelton said. "This really speaks to where young people are at in terms of grappling with AI becoming such a big part of our lives and also some of the rapid changes happening in health and wellness right now."
See the full rankings list in the USAToday story.
Featured image at top of professor Shelton and her students. Photo/University of Cincinnati
Related Stories
Spectrum News: UC graduate creates personal styling app
March 4, 2024
University of Cincinnati alumna Camryn Ellis plans to release her virtual closet and personal styling app to the public by the end of March, Spectrum News reported.
UC surprises, celebrates newest Bearcats on Decision Day
January 28, 2025
On Decision Day, future Bearcats learn they’ve been admitted to the University of Cincinnati. UC continues its tradition of surprising some of those students in person.
University of Cincinnati gets $1.1M for AI physician training
January 30, 2026
The University of Cincinnati College of Medicine has received a four-year, $1.1 million grant to explore using artificial intelligence and personalized learning to improve physician education.