• Ad Age , Wednesday, January 21, 2009 11 AM

There is a direct relationship between the confidence people have in the economy and the attention they pay to Super Bowl commercials. When consumer confidence is weak, recall is 11% lower than average and 36% lower than in good times, according to a Gallup & Robinson study of 12 years' worth of surveys about recall and likeability of Super Bowl advertising.

The economy isn't the only factor at play in when it comes to recall, warns Scott Purvis, president of the market-research firm. The content of an ad is important, as is the quality of the game. Even so, Purvis says, "about one quarter of change in recall is related to the change in consumer confidence."

NBC has told ad buyers it has about 10% of its Super Bowl ad inventory left to sell -- about six or seven 30-second spots -- at a record $3 million per 30-seconds. Buyers, however, suggest the network may have as many as 10 or 11 spots left, Brian Steinberg reports.

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