The Super Bowl showdown taking place during the commercial breaks emerged with a clear winner this year: Doritos. According to Nielsen, the “Sling Baby” ad earned the rare distinction of both the most memorable and best liked ad, while “Man’s Best Friend” also had a very strong showing in the top third of both lists.

Super Bowl ads are known for generating buzz—and viewers—but not all creatives are created equal. Nielsen reveals America’s most liked commercials over the past five years, and the NFL itself tops the list.

The Super Bowl is perhaps the most important marketing event of the year, as its popularity applies to the commercials as much as the game. In that respect, auto makers were the real winners of this year’s Bowl.

“The early buzz data makes one thing clear — controversy drives conversation,” said Pete Blackshaw, executive vice president of digital strategy at The Nielsen Company.

In this video preview of a Dec. 4 Nielsen Online webinar: “Super Buzz or Super Blues? Maximizing Media Returns” Pete Blackshaw, EVP Digital Strategic Services, Nielsen Online, discusses how search, social media engagement, and word of mouth contribute to ROI in the Super Bowl advertising playbook.

Webinar details at Nielsen Online.