Super Bowl Delivers Super Targeting, Agency Finds

Assuming they're advertising in the Big Game to reach their customers, then most of the 27 marketers scheduled to air spots in Fox's coverage of the Super Bowl on Sunday will reach significantly higher concentrations of the people who use their products than they would get buying average TV programming. That's the finding of an analysis Carat Insight did comparing the users of each brand or product category with the people who watched last year's Super Bowl coverage.

The study, which was based on Mediamark Research Inc.'s Spring 2004 report, found that erectile dysfunction drug Cialis and Anheuser-Busch's Michelob Amber Bock brand have the greatest likelihood of reaching people who consume their products (Viagra, which was in MRI's database, was used as a proxy for Cialis, which was not) of any advertisers in the game. Their consumers are 67 percent more likely to watch the Super Bowl than the average adult TV viewer.

"Brands such as Cialis, Michelob Bock, Bud Light, and FedEx should really get a bang for their buck as they have the most users reached by the game," predicts Rob Frydlewicz, vice president-director of research at Carat Insight. While the Super Bowl typically reaches about 35 percent of all adults, it reaches between 48 percent and 58 percent of the users of those four brands, he said.

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The least likely consumers to tune into the Big Game are users of Ciba Vision, Degree deodorant, and Diamond Emerald nuts, which indexed below the average TV viewer, according to the analysis (see table below).

Of course, marketers sometimes utilize media to reach consumers who don't currently use their products in the hopes of building their customer base.

Interestingly, while movie studios have become the fastest-growing Super Bowl ad category--ranking No. 2 behind beers in this year's game--regular moviegoers are only 10 percent more likely to watch the Super Bowl than the average viewer.

In terms of specific category match-ups, Subway looks to beat McDonald's in the fast-food category, while MBNA will trounce Visa in the credit card category.

Viewing By Users Of Products Advertising In Super Bowl


Advertiser % Viewed Super Bowl Index Vs. Viewers 18+
Cialis 57.6% 167
Michelob Amber Bock 57.5% 167
Bud Light 50.1% 145
Federal Express 48.6% 141
Olympus Camera/MP3 47.1% 137
Mcllhenny Tabasco 47.1% 136
MBNA Credit Cards 46.8% 136
AmeriQuest Mortgage 46.5% 135
Heineken 45.9% 133
Subway Restaurants 44.6% 129
Budweiser 44.5% 129
Lincoln Mark LT Pickup 42.4% 123
Napster 41.9% 121
Volvo XC90 SUV 41.7% 121
Radio Shack 39.1% 113
Pepsi Cola 38.7% 112
Visa Check-Card 38.5% 112
Lays Potato Chips 38.2% 111
McDonald's 38.2% 111
Movie Studios* 38.1% 110
Honda Ridgeline 37.1% 107
Cadillac 36.6% 106
Cosentino Silestone 36.3% 105
Careerbuilder.com 35.3% 102
Diamond Emerald Nuts 33.9% 98
Degree Deodorant 33.8% 98
Ciba Vision 32.9% 95

Source: Carat Insight analysis of data from Mediamark Research Inc.'s Spring 2004 report. Based on viewing of Super Bowl XXXVIII in 2004. *Buena Vista, MGM, Sony, Paramount, Warner Bros., Universal.
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