Hard to believe, but the majority of Super Bowl viewers enjoy the game’s ads more than the action on the field, according to results of a survey from The Nielsen Company. 51% of those questioned said they most enjoy the commercials that air throughout the game when compared to the Super Bowl game itself. 49% said that they enjoy the game more than the ads. Results were based on a sample of over 25,000 households in Nielsen’s Homescan panel.
“This survey reinforces the value of the Super Bowl as a marketing bonanza, featuring one of the most receptive TV audiences in the world,” said Randall Beard, EVP/Nielsen IAG. “With so many viewers waiting for the pitch, the pressure is on advertisers to create and place ads that will have a lasting impact.”
The poll was one of many new findings Nielsen released in a comprehensive study of the trends and effectiveness of paid Super Bowl advertising.
Other Super Bowl insights uncovered by Nielsen include:
– Ads that run early in the game are better remembered and better liked than those airing later in the game.
– A “winning” spot can vary depending on an advertiser’s goals and target demographics.
– Traffic to advertiser Web sites spiked on the day after last year’s Super Bowl.
– In the last five years, the biggest Super Bowl advertiser is Anheuser-Busch, which spent over $100 million on its Bud and Bud Light brands alone.
– Motion Pictures form the biggest category of ad spending, which leads to an immediate surge in online buzz for the advertised films.
