For Super Bowl ad faves, location isn't everything

Editor's note: This article appeared in the February 14, 2011, edition of Quirk's e-newsletter.

The Super Bowl continues to draw in more viewers than any other televised event as a de facto, TV-watching American holiday. It's also perhaps the most important marketing moment of the year, as its popularity applies as much to the commercials and their extreme exposure as it does the game itself. However, understanding the impact of Super Bowl ad exposure can be a tough beer nut to crack, as the most-recalled and most-watched ads are not always directly correlated with likability, according to data from New York researcher The Nielsen Company.

Anheuser-Busch's most memorable commercials (Cowboy in Western saloon at No. 2; Bud Light - Kitchen redesigned with a bucket of beer at No. 10) were well-placed, airing in the first half of the Super Bowl when, as research has shown, Super Bowl ads are usually the most effective. This year, brand recall was 19 percent higher in the first quarter than in the fourth quarter. In fact, six out of the top 10 most-recalled commercials in Super Bowl XLV aired in the first quarter alone. Eight of the top 10 were shown before halftime.

Among the most-recalled commercials were Pepsi (Pepsi Max - Couple on first date at No. 4; Pepsi Max - Soda cans shoot out of cooler at No. 5), Snickers (Richard Lewis and Roseanne Barr complain while working at No. 6), the NFL (TV clips montage at No. 8), Go-Daddy (GoDaddy.co - New spokesperson Joan Rivers at No. 8) and all three of creatives from Doritos (Pug knocks down door at No. 1; Man licks cheese crumbs off of coworker's fingers at No. 3; Housesitter brings grandpa back to life at No. 7).

Although consumers may face some degree of ad fatigue as the game progresses (hence the decrease in brand recall later in the game), viewership during the game increased. All of this year's top-viewed ads were seen in the last quarter of the game, with the exception of the NFL ad that aired in the third quarter. These ads were placed at the beginning or end of the commercial breaks in the fourth quarter when the game was reaching its climax. As more people tuned in to watch the suspense unfold, these ads were able to capitalize on huge exposure. The most-watched ads included spots from Chevrolet, Bridgestone, Skechers, Verizon, Fox, Volkswagen, Mercedes-Benz and two motion picture companies.

However, while advertisers can strategically place their commercials in certain pods to achieve maximum brand exposure or generate awareness, there is a little more mystery involved when it comes to delivering a likeable commercial. Many times, the darlings of the Super Bowl attract the most post-game buzz publicity and attention, supplementing the in-game impact with long-term popularity. Only four of the most-liked commercials appeared on either the most-recalled or most-watched list, and the NFL clips montage was the only ad that appeared on all three lists. The top-10 most-liked commercials of Super Bowl XLV were Volkswagen (Little Darth Vader starts car at No. 1; Beetle navigates the wild at No. 6), Bridgestone (Woodchuck saves driver at No. 2), E*Trade (Baby talks next to sneezing cat at No. 3), Doritos (Man licks cheese crumbs off of coworker's fingers at No. 4; Housesitter brings grandpa back to life at No. 5), NFL (TV clips montage at No. 7), Chrysler (200 - Eminem represents Detroit at No. 8), Budweiser (Bud Light - Dogs work at party at No. 9) and Audi (A8 - Men break out of old luxury at No. 10).

While the automotive category has traditionally been less effective in persuading consumers to buy based on TV ads, automakers had a strong presence in 2011. "Only twice in the last 10 years have we seen the auto category crack the top 10 best-liked spots, and both times it was with just a single ad. The fact that this year four automotive ads moved into territory normally dominated by beverage and snack food ads indicates that these brands have really raised the bar in terms of creative quality and narratives that resonate with viewers," says David Kaplan, senior vice president, advertising effectiveness, Nielsen.