Restaurant Marketing Watch: Brands help make social media history during Super BowlRestaurant Marketing Watch: Brands help make social media history during Super Bowl

NRN editor and restaurant marketing expert Jennings breaks down what you should be watching in the industry this week. Connect with her on the latest marketing trends and news at @livetodineout and [email protected].

The Super Bowl XLIX was expected to be the most-watched U.S. television event of all time, but the big game also made social media history, with a record-breaking 28.4 million tweets during the broadcast.

Restaurants took advantage of the focus on football to get their own brand messages out.
 

Noodles & Company tried to help the football-impaired know what to say during the game with its “Mac and Cheat” tweets.
 

But the big winner on Sunday may have been McDonald’s.

Marketing analytics firm Ace Metrix said on Monday McDonald’s one-minute “Pay with Lovin’” Super Bowl ad won the top score based on surveys of viewer reaction.

The commercial’s Ace Score was 706, one of the highest ever for a Super Bowl ad, and 21 percent above the category norm for quick-service restaurants, Ace Metrix said. Budweiser, Coca-Cola and Snickers tied for the No. 2 spot.

“An Ace Score over 700 is about as common as a perfect game in Major League Baseball: 0.06 percent of all ads over the past five years have scored above 700,” Peter Daboll, Ace Metrix’s CEO, said in a statement. “McDonald’s has achieved Super Bowl gold, surprising and delighting consumers and changing perceptions about the fast-food giant.”

According to AdAge, McDonald’s commercial also won the top spot in Twitter polls.

The Oak Brook, Ill.-based quick-service operator’s social media team was busy tweeting during the game — but not with its own ads.

Throughout the Super Bowl, McDonald’s encouraged cross-brand lovin’ by urging followers to retweet to earn prizes related to the commercials of other brands.
 

McDonald’s’ own “Pay with Lovin’” commercial also generated much love on Twitter.
 

The social media buzz about “Pay with Lovin’” carried into Monday, as the free meals were randomly doled out for “payment” that included fist bumps, dancing or family hugs.
 

Creating dialogue

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But not all the buzz was positive. Some followers were unhappy they were not chosen for Lovin’ payment.
 

Others just didn’t buy into the notion of public displays of affection.
 

And, as has been the case with pretty much any McDonald’s marketing effort of late, the minimum wage debate was raised.
 

Not surprisingly, Pay with Lovin’ also sparked some rude comments, most of which cannot be repeated here.
 

Deborah Wahl, McDonald’s chief marketing officer, reiterated that the goal of the chain’s efforts to re-energize the “lovin’” part of its “I’m Lovin’ It” tagline is about creating dialogue.

“What we’re looking for is to have a unique conversation with America,” Wahl told the Wall Street Journal. “The Super Bowl is the best platform to do it. It’s the best way to reach customers and create a dialogue that’s never been done before.”

Papa John’s Pizza, meanwhile, didn’t air a commercial during the game, though the company was an official sponsor and had a free pizza promotion in the days leading up to the game.

Still, the company said it surpassed its goal of 1 million pizza orders on Sunday, recording “double-digit sales,” which was fueled primarily by online and mobile orders.

On Monday, Papa John’s brought back its Bacon Cheeseburger pizza, along with a double chocolate-chip brownie.

Some restaurant brands kept the football fandom going on Monday with day-after references.
 

This year’s game produced an unlikely underdog, uh, left shark for half-time fumbles:
 

And who doesn’t love a winner?

Contact Lisa Jennings at [email protected]
Follow her on Twitter: @livetodineout