• by Wayne Friedman , February 3, 2009

Forget about what you thought about the Super Bowl commercials. How did you sweat to them?

Popular polls and metrics in judging Super Bowl ads mentioned top-rated spots from Doritos, Hulu and others. But Innerscope Research said "biometric" tests--which measure heart rate, breathing, skin sweat and motion--concluded that the most effective ads were much different than the top-performing ones on USA Today's Ad Meter.

Lesser-noticed commercials got high scores, according to the New York-based research company. CareerBuilder.com and Cash4Gold commercials, which seemingly tug at real economic troubles that current U.S. TV viewers are having, were No. 1 and No. 2, respectively.

CareerBuilder produced a spot focused on the monotony--and endless repetition--of some employment. Cash4Gold showed us real-life financially troubled entertainment people--Ed McMahon and MC Hammer--who need to trade in their gold for cash.

Many polls offered the Doritos' "Crystal Ball" spot--featured as a result of a viewer sweepstakes--of a crystal ball being thrown at a vending machine and one office worker, as one of the best Super Bowl commercials.

"Your unconscious emotions reveal what your conscious thoughts cannot," said Dr. Carl Marci, CEO and co-founder of Innerscope Research, in a release. "The benefit of biometrics is that we can identify how people truly feel, and the economy is pervasive."

Other high-ranking spots, according to Innerscope, include Castrol Oil, featuring real monkeys working as "grease" monkeys on cars. Another was a Bud Light spot where executives are figuring out how to cut costs. Internet domain seller GoDaddy.com showed race-car driver Danica Patrick taking a shower.

Innerscope's study featured 46 men and women 21-35; they wore lightweight, wireless biometric vests to conduct the tests.