The Doritos ad which aired during the fourth quarter of the Super Bowl, at 9:30 pm, was seen by an estimated 116.2 million viewers, making it the most-watched television ad of all time, according to The Nielsen Company.
The ad featured two men in a gym being attacked by a Doritos-clad Samurai for eating his chips. The Super Bowl itself was the most-watched television program of all time, pulling 106.5 million total viewers and beating the previous most-watched show record held by the 1983 airing of the finale episode of “M*A*S*H*.” The previous record for most-watched commercial was for an ad during that same episode of “M*A*S*H*.”
The second most-watched ad spot in the Super Bowl was Audi’s “Green Police” ad, which aired at 9:26 pm and pulled an audience of 115.6 million. The third-ranked spot was the ad for Electronic Arts’ “Dante’s Inferno” game, which ran at 9:15.
Honda (“Squirrel”), Taco Bell (“It Rocks”), Bud Light (“Book Party”) and Hyundai (“Built by Hand”) all tied for the next-most-watched ad, with 114.8 million viewers each.
Least-Viewed Ads
The highly controversial Focus on the Family ad, starring Tim Tebow, was the least-viewed commercial of the game, seen by approximately 92.6 million viewers.
Other least-viewed ads included:
- Snickers (“Betty White”)
- Boost Mobile (“SB Shuffle”)
- Hyundai (“Meant to Last”)
- Bud Light (“Beer House”)
Popularity May Not Translate to Viewership
The “Betty White” Snickers ad which was among the least-viewed ads of this year’s Super Bowl was also among the most popular with viewers, according to MediaCurves.com. The ad was ranked second in overall viewer popularity, coming in first for viewer interest, fifth in emotion and third among ads likely to be discussed at the water cooler the next day.
A Budweiser ad featuring a horse befriending a bull which was ranked as the most popular overall ad by MediaCurves.com was the eighth-most watched ad, according to Nielsen. The Doritos ad which scored the most viewers was ranked the 28th most popular of 110 ads aired during the Super Bowl.
Earlier Ads Resonate More, Seen Less
Super Bowl advertisers looking to maximize audience response to their ads are advised to show them early in the game, preferably the first quarter, according to research performed by Nielsen last month. Although the top 30 most-viewed ads were all aired in the second half of this year’s Super Bowl, as demonstrated by positive response to the “Betty White” ad and middling response to the Doritos “Gym” ad, high viewership does not always mean an ad resonates with consumers.
