The Nielsen Company today released an analysis of advertising trends from Super Bowl XLII, which was viewed by an average audience of 97.5 million people in the U.S., more than any previous Super Bowl. Included is a summary of Super Bowl-related advertising measurement results from Nielsen’s media tracking businesses. (For all tables and graphs referenced in this release, please view Full PDF Download version of release). A few of the highlights include:
— The highest rated commercial minute was the Victoria’s Secret commercial at 9:44 p.m., which was seen by 103.7 million people.
— The commercial that had the highest gain from DVR playback was the Chronicles of Narnia Prince Caspian movie promotion, which was viewed by 4.1 million people on DVR playback.
— Super Bowl XLII was viewed by a record 97.5 million people in the U.S. more than any previous Super Bowl.
— According to live polling results from the social networking site, HeyNielsen.com, the Budweiser Horse/Dalmation spot was the most popular ad.
— Pepsi’s ad with Justin Timberlake was the most buzzed about ad online, accounting for 6.7% of Super Bowl ad discussion, followed by E*TRADE with 5.2%.
— Among Super Bowl advertisers, the fastest growing Web site was Fox Interactive Media’s MySpace.com/SuperBowlAds, increasing 104 percent from 441,000 to 900,000 unique visitors.
— This year’s Super Bowl aired 50 minutes and 50 seconds of commercial time. Fifty-two unique brands aired commercials that competed for viewers’ attention for a total of 84 advertisements.
Viewing the Commercials
To view full-motion commercials, storyboards, and ratings that aired during the Super Bowls since 1999, visit Nielsen’s creative website at https://www.nielsenmedia.com/monitorplus/superbowl/.
Top Rated Commercials
The Victoria’s Secret commercial that ran at 9:44 p.m. was the most watched commercial during the Super Bowl. It had a rating of 36.2 and was seen by 103.7 million people. These “live plus same day” ratings include viewing that was recorded and played back on digital video recorders (DVRs) on Super Bowl Sunday.
(Please view table “Top-Rated Commercials Viewers 2+, Live Plus Same Day” in Full PDF Download version of release).
Most-Viewed Commercials on DVR Playback
Almost 4.2 million people watched the Chronicles of Narnia Prince Caspian movie promotion seen at 7:46 PM via DVR playback. Nielsen began adding households with Digital Video Recorders to its sample in late 2005 and this is the second Super Bowl in which DVR playback has been included in the television ratings. During Super Bowl XLI, all of the most played-back commercials appeared between 7:18 p.m. and 7:50 p.m.(Please view table “Most-Viewed Commercials on DVR Playback” in Full PDF Download version of release).
Super Bowl A Hit With Viewers In More Ways Than One
This year’s Super Bowl was a ratings bonanza as the big game was the most watched in history averaging 97.4 million viewers. Among all programs, it was the second highest-viewed of all time. (Please view table “Top 10 Programs Among Persons 2+ (000)” in Full PDF Download version of release).
Here are some additional viewership highlights:
— In terms of total audience, 148.3 million people watched at least 6 minutes of Super Bowl XLII making it the Super Bowl with the largest reach (unduplicated audience) ever.
— Locally, Boston had the #1 Metered Market performance with a 55.6 HH rtg. New York was #32 with a 44.9 HH rtg.
— Super Bowl XLII also drew large numbers of ethnic viewers. Ratings for African-American Persons 2+ were up 4% over 2007. Hispanic and Asian viewers drew an 18.0 and 21.8 rating among Persons 2+, respectively.
— The big game did exceptionally well in upscale households with Persons 2+ in homes with an income of $100,000+ indexing 24% higher than the total US audience. In terms of education, those households of Persons 2+ with 4+Years of College indexed 14% higher than the total US audience.
— Within DVR households, Super Bowl XLII averaged a 39.8 rating among Persons 2+ — 17% higher than the total US audience.
— In HD capable/receivable households, Super Bowl XLII averaged a 47.6 rating among Persons 2+ – a 40% increase over the total US audience.
— Within homes with Internet access, Super Bowl XLII averaged a 36.7 rating among Persons 2+ — 8% higher than the total US audience.
Hey!Nielsen Live Polling
Hey! Nielsen, the company’s new social-networking site, recruited over 200 influential members to participate in a ground-breaking survey for Super Bowl XLII. Members were asked to score each commercial on a scale from 1 (fumble) to 4 (touchdown) in real-time. A series of questions were given post-game to drill deeper into qualitative analysis.
According to live polling results, famous personalities scored high among members. Budweiser was the highest ranked ad, with an average of 3.67 for its Horse/Dalmation spot. The brand’s Fire Breathe and Cheese ads were also among the top 10. Coke and Pepsi closely follow the number one ad, ranked 2 and 3 respectively.
Deeper qualitative analysis reveals that most viewers wanted something new and funny, as 62% of members said that humor influences their purchase behavior. Other qualities of an ad that motivate consumers include excitement (9%), surprise (8%) and inspiration (8%).(Please view table “Hey!Nielsen Live Polling” in Full PDF Download version of release).
Super Bowl Ads Drive Web Traffic
This year more than ever, Super Bowl advertisers focused on driving Web traffic with their premium TV spots. In turn, the Web is dramatically increasing the longevity of Super Bowl ads, with the rise of social networking and video sharing sites.
Among Super Bowl advertisers, the fastest growing Web site from Super Bowl Sunday to Monday was Fox Interactive Media’s MySpace.com/SuperBowlAds, increasing 104 percent from 441,000 to 900,000 unique visitors. Victoria’s Secret and FOX Sports on MSN also saw significant daily gains, growing 86 percent and 72 percent, respectively. Among Super Bowl advertisers collectively, the Web traffic increase from Sunday to Monday was 24 percent.
A handful of advertisers did not have reportable Web traffic on Sunday, but saw a bump on Monday, including FedEx, E*Trade and Sprint.(Please view table “Super Bowl Advertisers with Fastest Growing Sunday to Monday Unique Audience Feb. 3-4, 2008 ” in Full PDF Download version of release).
Advertising Takes a Large Share of Overall Super Bowl Discussion
The Super Bowl is not only an event for football fanatics, but also an opportunity for advertisers to reach a larger audience. According to Nielsen Online, 33% of all online consumer discussion involving Super Bowl XLII was about advertisements.
Brands by Buzz โ Which Super Bowl Commercial Generated the Most Buzz?
Pepsi’s ad with Justin Timberlake generated the most buzz online accounting for 6.7% of Super Bowl ad discussion, followed by E*TRADE with 5.2%. First-time Super Bowl advertiser and luxury auto brand Audi ranks third, with 4.4%, mainly driven by auto enthusiasts as well as general consumers. Salesgenie.com rounds out the top 10 with 2.6% of discussion, which is mostly negative buzz as consumers refer to the ad as “un-PC.” (Please view chart “Top 10 Super Bowl Ads as a % of Super Bowl Ad Discussion ” in Full PDF Download version of release).
Top Advertisers, Categories, and Brands
This year’s Super Bowl aired 50 minutes and 50 seconds of commercial time, according to Nielsen Monitor-Plus, the competitive intelligence service of The Nielsen Company. Fifty-two unique brands aired commercials that competed for viewers’ attention for a total of 84 advertisements.
The categories that advertised the most this year included Automotive, Motion Pictures, and Beer. In the top slot, Automotive aired 5ยฝ minutes of commercial time, adding one minute to its total from 2007. Motion Pictures followed airing 4 minutes and 15 seconds of ads, significantly increasing from under 2 minutes in the 2007 game. Finally, the Beer category, which has traditionally led the Super Bowl, dropped to the third largest category with 4 minutes of air time, compared to 5 minutes last year. (Please view chart “Top Ad Categories” in Full PDF Download version of release).
The Automotive category increased time from last year by one minute seconds to 5ยฝ minutes. Hyundai Genesis ran 2 ads at 30-seconds each; Audi R8 ran one minute-long commercial; Toyota Corolla and CarMax Auto Dealership each ran a 30-second commercial; GMC Yukon Hybrid Trucks ran one 60-second spot; and Acura MDX, Jeep Grand Cherokee, and Toyota Sequoia each ran one 30-second commercial to promote their truck brands.
After cutting back in 2007, Motion Pictures returned with 4 minutes and 15 seconds of commercial time. Eight movies were advertised this year, compared to only 4 in 2007. During the 2006 Super Bowl, 9 movies advertised totaling 4 ยฝ minutes. Buena Vista is the only studio to advertise more than one motion picture (Chronicles of Narnia Prince Caspian and Walt Disney Wall-E). It is also the only movie studio to air a 60-second ad (for Chronicles of Narnia Prince Caspian).
The Beer category decreased its airtime from 5 minutes in 2007 to 4 minutes in this year’s game. As has been the case for the last eight years, Anheuser-Busch was the leading advertiser. The beer category included advertising for Bud Light and Budweiser. As the brand did in 2006, Bud Light aired three minutes of ads (six 30-second spots). Budweiser ran one 60-second commercial. (Please view chart “Top Advertisers” in Full PDF Download version of release).
Since 1993, Nielsen Monitor-Plus has been tracking Super Bowl advertisers and is reporting the following Super Bowl advertising “rookies” for this time period: Dell, Schering-Plough (Claritin) and Hyundai.
Top Sponsorship Brand Exposures
According to Nielsen’s Sponsorship Scorecard, which measures exposure to in-game advertising, Cadillac was the top brand in terms of gross impressions. This was due in large part to Cadillac’s sponsorship of the MVP award, won by Eli Manning, and the corresponding graphic, that remained on-screen during the entire post-game ceremony. (Please view chart “Top Sponsorship Brand Exposures” in Full PDF Download version of release).
Advertising and High Definition TV:
For the second year in a row, Nielsen Strategic Media Research conducted an online study following the Super Bowl in order to learn more about Super Bowl commercials and viewing in High Definition (HD). In this survey, conducted between 7:00 a.m. on Monday and 1:00 a.m. on Wednesday, 274 randomly selected individuals over age 12 were asked about their Super Bowl viewing experience. Highlights include:
o 41% of viewers watched the Super Bowl in HD
o People who viewed the game in HD could recall 21% more commercials than respondents who did not view in HD
o People who viewed the Super Bowl in HD were 80% more likely than non-HD viewers to be watching the game in a group of 6 or more people
o The Monday morning quarterbacks all have one question burning on their minds: “How much is brand exposure in the Super Bowl really worth?” Well, the week before the Super Bowl, 42% of respondents to Nielsen’s SportsQuesttm survey named Anheuser-Busch or a Budweiser brand as the beer brand that first comes to mind. With its seven Super Bowl spots, 51% of respondents in our Super Bowl study named Anheuser-Busch or Budweiser. Top of mind awareness for Budweiser was over 52% among HD viewers and just under 50% among non-HD Viewers.
[Note: Meant to give a quick glimpse into commercial recall and HD broadcasting of the Super Bowl, the results of this study are not necessarily statistically significant but provide strong directional evidence of the impact of HD and advertising as it relates to the Super Bowl.]
About The Nielsen Company
The Nielsen Company is a global information and media company with leading market positions and recognized brands in marketing information (ACNielsen), media information (Nielsen Media Research), online intelligence (NetRatings and BuzzMetrics), trade shows and business publications (Billboard, The Hollywood Reporter, Adweek). The privately held company is active in more than 100 countries, with headquarters in Haarlem, the Netherlands, and New York, USA. For more information, please visit www.nielsen.com.