Few celebrities have pumped out as many ad hits as Ryan Reynolds in recent years. The actor has a knack for reading the cultural moment and cranking out viral videos for brands ranging from Aviation Gin to Mint Mobile, often in partnership with his agency, Maximum Effort Productions. In honor of his birthday—he turns 44 today–we asked ad-scoring firm Ace Metrix to provide us with Reynolds’ top 10 ads, based on scores from their consumer panel. (Ace scores ads on a scale of 1-950, based on factors including attention, likeability, information, change, relevance, desire and watchability.)
One surprise: His “Peleton Wife” spoof ad for Aviation Gin did not crack the top 10, but we included it anyway, because how could we not? Also, interestingly, note who happens to star in the top-scoring ad. His name is not Ryan Reynolds, but it does rhyme with Stu Packman.
10: Mint Mobile: New ManageMint (567 Points)
9) Mint Mobile: Different Mintality (573 Points)
8) Mint Mobile: Ryan & Avery Revere (577 Points)
7) Mint Mobile: Mother’s Day Message (598 Points)
6) Mint Mobile: Understanding 5G (602 Points)
5) Aviation Gin: Arlene’s Big Leap (618 Points)
4) Hyundai: Ryanville (625 Points)
3) Aviation Gin: Dedication (630 Points)
2) Aviation Gin: Home School Edition (669 Points)
1) Laughing Man Coffee: Nice Morning (689 Points)
As for Aviation Gin's spin-off of the Peloton wife fiasco, Ace Metrix said that it scored 537 among spirits drinkers, which ranks it in the bottom five of the actor's ads. According to a company spokesperson, “It was polarizing in that consumers that got the joke loved it but, surprisingly, not everyone was in the 'know' and therefore didn't connect with the storyline.”
All this might make you wonder, how much Ryan Reynolds makes a “good,” effective ad? Well, let’s take a look at another spot that didn’t make the top ranking. Back in November, the actor starred in a Samsung ad that also happened to be an ad for one of his movies and an ad for Aviation. (That one was created out of adam&eve/DDB New York.).
According to Ace Metrix, the spot scored 561, which ranks it #13 on the Reynolds-meter—“around the all-ads norm,” a representative said. “We see this sometimes with really creative ads (from an industry-insider perspective) where the concept or execution just doesn't resonate with your average U.S. consumer."
Lesson? Reynolds, good. Ad-insidery, not so much.
