• by Paul Gough , January 30, 2004

It may be TV advertising's annual center stage, but consumers say they don't watch the Super Bowl just for the ads, although they acknowledge they're paying more attention to ads during the game than during the other 364 days of the year.

These are among the findings of an InsightExpress study on consumers' and industry professionals' perceptions of the Super Bowl advertising environment. The study, a collaboration with MediaDailyNews. found some differences in perceptions between the industry professionals who place the ads on the Super Bowl and the millions who will watch them when the game between the New England Patriots and the Carolina Panthers kicks off Sunday afternoon from Houston. Sixty percent of the 500 consumers surveyed watched all or part of last year's Super Bowl; most of those who didn't said they don't care about football.

While more than 41 percent of the media planners and buyers, part a MediaPost advisory panel, believe consumers pay closer attention to the ads than the game, only 27 percent of consumers agreed. Fifty-one percent of consumers say they're more interested in what happens on the field, and 22 percent didn't say one way or the other. More than 60 percent of consumers preferred the game to the multimillion-dollar halftime show too.

A majority of consumers (65 percent) concede that when the Super Bowl commercials run, they're more likely to watch them than everyday ads. The remainder either disagreed or didn't have an opinion. That contrasts with 92 percent of planners and buyers who think consumers pay more attention to Super Bowl ads.

While 95 percent of planners and buyers believe Super Bowl commercials are either very or somewhat effective for creating brand awareness, they're not as sure whether that translates into moving product off the shelves. Only 2 percent believed Super Bowl ads are very effective in impacting purchasing behavior, and 48 percent more termed them somewhat effective; 40 percent couldn't say, and less than 10 percent thought they were either very or somewhat ineffective. Just a bit more than half of consumers (52 percent) reported trying products because they saw them on the Super Bowl.

Both panels were asked whether advertising in the Super Bowl was worth the price, estimated at $2.4 million for a 30-second spot this year. More than 60 percent of consumers said no way, with the rest split between yes and indecision. Only 27 percent of planners/buyers in the survey believed Super Bowl advertising is worth the price, with 37 percent not sure and the rest saying no. Forty-three percent of the planners/buyers in the survey have bought airtime for a client during the Super Bowl.