Ads for Bridgestone Tires, the NFL and Bud Light beer were the three most popular with viewers of the 2011 Super Bowl, according to an online survey from MediaCurves.com. Volkswagen was the only company to place two ads in the top 10 list, number four “Darth Passat” and number seven “Black Beetle.”
Top 10 Most Popular Super Bowl XLV Ads
Following is a list of the top Super Bowl 10 ads ranked by overall popularity with viewers. The score is a metric created by MediaCurves.com.
1. Bridgestone – Saluting Beaver
2. NFL – Best.Fans.Ever.
3. Bud Light – Dog Party
4. Volkswagen – Darth Passat
5. Doritos – Pug Door
6. Walt Disney – On Stranger Tides
7. Volkswagen – Black Beetle
8. Coca Cola – Dragon
9. Snickers – Now My Front Hurts
10. CareerBuilder.com – Chimp Parking
Animal Ads Resonate with Viewers
The overall number one ad with viewers (overall score of about 72.3) was “Saluting Beaver” from Bridgestone, featuring a motorist who is able to avoid hitting a beaver and then plunging into a river thanks to tire traction (and a little rodent-supplied assistance). “Saluting Beaver” scored first in both emotion ranking (evoking most possible positive and least possible negative emotions) and water cooler ranking (likelihood of participants discussing the ad at the water cooler the next day), and third in interest ranking (how well it held the interest of viewers).
Meanwhile, the self-explanatory “Dog Party” ad from Bud Light, which came in third overall, ranked first in viewer interest.
Automotive Ads Take Three Top 10 Spots
Three of the top 10 ads, including the number one ad, were for autos or automotive products. Two ads were for snack food, and one ad promoted a product in each of the following five categories: the NFL, beer, film, soda, and online portal.
Snickers Doesn’t Duplicate Betty White Magic
An ad for Snickers candy bars featuring comedian Roseanne Barr placed ninth overall, including ninth in water cooler ranking, 12th in emotion ranking and 16th in interest ranking. While these are very respectable results, this ad was nowhere near as effective as a Snickers ad that ran during last year’s Super Bowl featuring octogenarian comic actress Betty White. That ad ranked second in overall popularity, took the number one spot for viewer interest, and also ranked fifth in emotion and third in water cooler ranking.
Furthermore, it launched a career revival for White, who went on to host the highest-rated episode of “Saturday Night Live” during the 2009-10 TV season and got a starring role in a new sitcom, “Hot in Cleveland.”
6 in 10 Viewers Looked Forward to Ads
Super Bowl advertisements get as much or more hype than the game itself, so it’s not too surprising that about six in 10 (59%) US adults who were planning to watch this year’s Super Bowl said they looked forward to the ads, according to recent Nielsen data. Another 30% didn’t look forward to the ads, but said they enjoy watching them.
Only 8% of Super Bowl viewers said they pay no special attention to the ads, and a mere 3% wished there was no advertising during the telecast.
About the Data: During the game, the Super Bowl ads were inserted into an on-line survey and sent to thousands of study participants. Participants answered questions regarding their perceptions of the ads using various parameters, including breakthrough, emotion, memorability and involvement. They also utilized an on-line dial testing system to indicate their levels of interest as they watched the ads.
