• by Laurie Sullivan , February 5, 2008

Northwestern University science and technology graduate students have designed a marketing application that aggregates polling data collected online and through mobile devices and cellular phones.

The marketing technology relies on cross-platform polling modules developed by Mimieo, which launched last month. The company focuses on aggregating data from multiple electronic devices and Web sites, including blogs. The application, developed on a shoestring budget without venture capital funds, uses Microsoft IIS as the Web platform, Microsoft SQL 2005 as the data platform, and SPSS Clementine software to mine the data.

Through an application called PickMe, consumers who viewed 2008 Super Bowl XLII ads can log onto Facebook, as well as Apple's iPhone or VoteSuperBowlAds.com to cast their votes. The technology gathers and evaluates consumers' emotional responses in real time as votes are tallied.

Grad students Rohit Bhat, Bryan Tabiadon and Glenn Allison worked closely with application developer David Matousek, and Professor Alexander Chernev from Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management to develop the system.

The application measures three metrics: Entertainment, Marketing, and Vanity. The Entertainment score reflects the degree to which viewers like the advertisement. Marketing reflects the extent the ad influences viewer perception. The Vanity score, calculated from comparing the Entertainment score with the Marketing, indicates whether the ad swayed consumer preference after viewing.

The ads were ranked from 1 to 5, 3 being average. Viewers were asked two questions for each ad: "Do you like the ad?" and "Does the ad increase or decrease your preference for the product?"

Allison, Mimieo's 31-year old CMO, says there were more than 50,000 Web site hits during the Super Bowl, and more than 5,000 polls registered. "Last night it was all about people getting entertained," he says. "Now we're seeing that some of the ads are getting higher marketing scores, rather than entertainment, and this pushes up the Vanity Score."

As of noon EST on Monday, the top Vanity Score ads were Iron Man with 0.969; No. 2, Audi: Godfather with 0.853; No. 3, Pepsi: Bob's House with 0.839; No. 4 Bud Light: Breath Fire with 0.783; and No. 5, Diet Pepsi Max with 0.778. Twelve hours earlier, the Vanity scores had ranked No. 1 Iron Man at 1.069; No. 2, Audi: Godfather with 1.051; No. 3, Diet Pepsi Max with 0.983; No. 4, Pepsi: Bob's House with 0.889: and No. 5, Bud Light: Breadth Fire with 0.857.

Allison says Mimieo plans to conduct a similar poll related to the Oscars. "We will allow people to vote in advance of the Oscars, and Oscar night, polling people in real time," he says. "We have also developed a framework around the data but won't release it until after the voting is complete on Oscar night."