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Patriots have more online visitors, but Giants fans run up web stats

During the run up to the playoffs in December 2011, the Patriots had 644,000 unique visitors to their official website, topping the Giants’ 574,000 visitors. However, Giants fans were more engaged when visiting their team’s website, viewing nearly twice as many pages (17 page views per person) compared to Patriots visitors, and spending over 10 minutes each on average.

Super Bowl buzz: Giants fans cheer more for team, Tom Brady is MVP of social media

Fans’ excitement throughout the playoffs carried over to social media. The Giants had more buzz about their team each week, with a 59 percent share of buzz compared to the Patriots’ 41 percent of buzz volume on blogs, message boards/forums, public posts on Twitter and Facebook and online news posts.  But Patriots’ quarterback Tom Brady surpassed Giants QB Eli Manning, with nearly double the amount of buzz.

Cost of an Ad
The Super Bowl investment is economically resilient, remaining relatively stable despite fluctuations in the primetime average—and rising consistently over the past five years despite a rocky economy.

Big Spenders: Automotive Makes a Comeback
2011 was the year of the auto comeback. Spending on automotive ads far surpassed other categories and more than doubled versus previous years. Nine different auto brands took center field in the commercial breaks, versus an average of two to four brands in years prior. Creative quality also improved in 2011, with an unprecedented four auto spots making Nielsen’s annual Most-Liked list. Chevrolet’s “Wild Ride” garnered the distinction of being the most watched ad of all time, with an estimated 119,628,000 viewers watching its Super Bowl airing. This year, Chevy is breaking ground again with the Game Time app, which will leverage consumers’ simultaneous cross-screen behavior and reinforce branding from traditional TV advertisements.

Top Five Super Bowl Advertising Categories (2007-2011)
Year Over Year Spend Breakdown (in millions)

Other Spend Trends

• Beer: Bud Light and Budweiser have dominated the turf when if comes to Super Bowl beer advertising over the past five years. Consumers have come to expect the fleet of creatives, including the iconic Clydesdale ads. In 2010 and 2011, other brands like Michelob and Stella Artois came to play. What can viewers expect this year?
• Motion Picture: Movies have a strong presence in Super Bowl ad lineup, as studios capitalize on the massive audience to parade their best bets for the year. From 2008-2011, at least one of the top five highest grossing films had a slot in the Super Bowl line up. Motion picture ads increased after 2008 and have had a consistently strong presence during the game since, reaching ten ads in last year’s game.
• Regular Soft Drink: While fewer Soft Drink ads have traditionally aired during the Super Bowl compared to other categories, they make an impact by creating minute-long spots.
• Tortilla Chips: Tortilla Chips have emerged as a highly anticipated category of ads, led by the fan created ads. Last year, three Doritos ads made Nielsen’s Most Liked and Most Remembered list.

Among the most watched commercials, a Listerine spot with animated Listerine fighters topped the list with 37,715,000 viewers. The most recalled ad was an M&M’s commercial where a criminal threatens to eat an animated M&M hostage in a convenience store holdup.

Although the top 10 recalled ads featured a range of categories and advertisers, from automotives to non-profits, one prominent trend was celebrity ads. Best Buy’s Buy Back Program ad, featuring Ozzy Osbourne and Justin Bieber touting 4G, 5G, and 6G phones, was the strongest celebrity ad in terms of brand recall. Consumers also remembered the Venus brand in a commercial with Jennifer Lopez singing, dancing, and chasing her children on the beach. The American Cancer Society ad featuring Celine Dion singing “Happy Birthday” was the sixth best recalled spot. Adrien Brody also did some singing in a Stella Artois ad, where he left women swooning as he serenaded a beer.

Many may have recognized the Best Buy and Stella ads from their premiere in this year’s Super Bowl. These ads performed significantly better with the Oscars crowd than they did in the Super Bowl. The Hyundai Sonata commercial with people using older technologies in the modern world also premiered during the Super Bowl and saw a bump as the eighth most effective spot for the Oscars.

LivingSocial.com was the only brand premiering a new ad during the Oscars to crack the top 10. This spot featured a couple dining, getting a cut at a salon, and taking tango lessons.

Overall, brand recall for this year’s Oscars jumped 9 percent versus last year.

Of the sites reviewed, web hosting site GoDaddy.com saw the largest lift in post-Super Bowl traffic, with a 41 percent increase in unique U.S. visitors during the week following the game compared to the week before. GoDaddy aired two commercials during the game with their 1st quarter ad starring Joan Rivers as the new GoDaddy spokesperson ranking as the ninth most-recalled commercial of the telecast.

Volkswagen and travel site HomeAway.com were the other two telecast advertisers reviewed who saw double-digit gains in web traffic during the week of February 7, both having a 27 percent increase in unique U.S. visitors. “Traditional” brand Mercedes-Benz also saw a noticeable uplift of 9 percent.

FOX, the Super Bowl XLV broadcaster, also saw traffic to its site increase by 11 percent to 1.5 million unique U.S. visitors during the week following the game compared to the week before.

On the other hand, when looking at online buzz, Groupon’s ads – a spoof on celebrity charity endorsements –caused plenty of conversation, placing the rookie Super Bowl telecast advertiser as the #5 most buzzed about brand out of all Super Bowl advertisers. Among the pure-online players, Groupon took the top spot, capturing 10.5 percent of total Super Bowl marketing buzz the day after the game, three times the buzz of GoDaddy, which had the largest increase in web traffic.  Discussion of Groupon continued over the next few days as buzz volume for the advertiser grew as high as 34 percent during the week following the telecast.

Methodology: This piece of research covered all the pure-play online advertisers (e.g. GoDaddy.com) and any “traditional” advertiser (e.g. Chevrolet) whose commercial appeared amongst the 10 most-watched during the Super Bowl XLV telecast. The piece measured the number of unique U.S. individuals who visited the advertiser website from a home or work computer between January 31 and February 13.

Buzz volume is depicted as a percentage of total Super Bowl marketing messages – any message with mentions of Super Bowl XLV and ad-related terms (e.g. advertiser, commercial, sponsor, campaign, marketer) – between January 31 and February 13.

The NFL Regular Season has seen a steady increase in its female fan base over the years, so it’s not surprising that Super Bowl XLV also generated an increase in female viewers. About 51.2 million female viewers watched Sunday’s game, compared to 48.5 million female viewers last year. The Super Bowl continues to be dominated by male viewers, who comprised 54 percent of the audience, but a much higher percentage of women watched the Super Bowl than followed the NFL regular season (when only 33.6 percent of the audience was female).

“Historically, sporting events, especially the Super Bowl, have captured a large audiences,” said Pat McDonough, Senior Vice President for Insights and Analysis at Nielsen. “If sports programmers want to grow their viewership, they will need to attract more women, African Americans and Hispanics, who are often underrepresented in the TV audience for many sporting events. This year’s Super Bowl sets a good example of how leagues can build bigger audiences.”

Nielsen data also shows that households with higher incomes are more likely to watch the game. In fact, as the household income increases, so does the rating.

And like previous Super Bowls, Nielsen data also shows that the age of the viewer matters. Adult viewers are more likely to watch the game, with the highest rating (41.9) coming from the 25-54 viewers.

• Two guys describing a woman’s wild ride in a silver Chevrolet Camaro was the most watched commercial of all time.  An estimated 119,628,000 viewers watched the ad, surpassing the previous record holder, a Doritos commercial from 2010 with 116,231,920 viewers.
• The Doritos ad with the pug dog knocking down the door was the most recalled ad of the game.
• The Volkswagen Passat ad, with the little Darth Vader starting the car, was by far the favorite ad of the game.

“The Super Bowl continues to be the advertising industry’s premier event,” said Pat McDonough, Senior Vice President for Insights and Analysis at Nielsen. “No other event allows advertisers to reach nearly 120 million consumers at a single time. And with Super Bowl advertisers adding millions of commercial views through online and social media exposure, they are able to extend their multi-million dollar investments beyond the game itself.”

While marketers can gain insight by understanding how many people watched the Super Bowl, the key to the black box of marketing effectiveness is understanding how and why they watch.  By pairing viewership with qualitative ad effectiveness data, The Nielsen Company has been able to delve deeper to decipher the code to Super Bowl commercial watching.

Many marketers produced memorable commercials reinforcing their existing brand images.  Consumer-created Doritos ads made a strong impression, as all three of the creatives made Nielsen’s Top 10 Most Recalled list. Pepsi, Go-Daddy, and the NFL also had well-recalled ads.

Anheuser-Busch’s most memorable commercials were well-placed, airing in the first half of the Super Bowl when, as Nielsen research has shown, Super Bowl ads are usually the most effective. This year, brand recall was 19 percent higher in the first quarter than in the fourth quarter. In fact, six out of the top ten most recalled commercials this year aired in the first quarter alone. Eight of the top ten were shown before half time.

While advertisers can strategically place their commercials in certain commercial pods to achieve maximum brand exposure or generate awareness, there is a little more mystery involved when it comes to delivering a likeable commercial.  Many times, the darlings of the Super Bowl attract the most post-Game buzz publicity and attention, supplementing the in-game impact with long term popularity. While the automotive category has traditionally been less effective in persuading consumers to buy based on TV ads, automakers had a strong presence in the top 10 this year.

“This year’s Super Bowl was really symbolic of the automotive industry’s comeback story,” said David Kaplan, SVP, Advertising Effectiveness for Nielsen. “Only twice in the last 10 years have we seen the auto category crack the Top 10 best-liked spots, and both times it was with just a single ad. The fact that this year four automotive ads moved into territory normally dominated by beverage and snack food ads indicates that these brands have really raised the bar in terms of creative quality and narratives that resonate with viewers.”

Although consumers may face some degree of ad fatigue as the game progresses (hence the decrease in brand recall later in the game), viewership during the game increased. All of this year’s top-viewed ads were seen in the last quarter of the game, with the exception of the NFL ad. These ads were placed at the beginning or end of the commercial breaks in the fourth quarter, when the game was reaching its climax. As more people tuned in to watch the suspense unfold, these ads were able to capitalize on huge exposure.

“Super Bowl XLV caps what is arguably the most successful season that any sports league has ever had,” said Pat McDonough,   “The number of people watching NFL games has never been higher, with 24% more people watching the average NFL game this year than just five years ago.  The Super Bowl continues to be in a category of its own, with an appeal that transcends sports and extends even to the commercials.  Because of the cliff-hanger nature of the game, viewers were tuning in until the very end, driving viewing levels to new heights.”

Over the past several years, the NFL has attracted larger audiences by broadening its appeal to new audiences, including women and Hispanics, by building up high-profile players – especially quarterbacks – to personify the league and by cross-promoting the games across multiple television networks and emerging digital platforms.

Pittsburgh and Milwaukee Lead Local Market viewing
In the local markets, Milwaukee and Pittsburgh were tied, with a 59.7 household rating.  Other high local market ratings include Columbus, OH and Nashville.

According to Nielsen, nearly 48 minutes of paid television advertising (including the pre-game kick-off) ran during the 2010 Super Bowl. Last year’s game drew an estimated $219 million in advertising, trumping total regular season ad spend for most other major sports last year, excluding football. With sold out ad inventory for this year’s Super Bowl and such a diverse and massive pack of consumers expected to tune in, which advertisers stand the best chance of capturing the audience and getting the greatest return on their investment?

In a recent online survey of 500 U.S. consumers, Nielsen revealed that one in three respondents said they bought a product in the past 12 months based on seeing an ad for the product. Those who said they bought a product based on an ad were more likely to do so for certain product categories more than others. 68 percent of those surveyed said they bought food (CPG) products within the past year after seeing the product advertised, while 36 percent said they were compelled to buy beverages (hot/cold/soft drinks) after seeing an ad.

Ads for health/beauty products (cosmetics, hair products, personal hygiene, etc.) also resonated with more than half (51%) of consumers. In each of these categories, TV ads were cited as the most effective form of advertisement by far. 85 percent, 83 percent and 70 percent of respondents said TV commercials influenced them the most when purchasing beverages, food and health/beauty products, respectively.

This bodes well for three of the top five product categories that advertised in the 2010 Super Bowl and, after an estimated 48.5 million women watched last year’s game, presents a big opportunity for health and beauty companies to expand their reach. However, for longer-term purchases, such as personal finance services and cars, only 10 percent of consumers surveyed said they had bought either of those products based on exposure to an ad. Still, TV was cited as the most influential medium when deciding to purchase a car (32%), financial service (43%), pharmaceuticals (64%) or home electronics (57%).

Cuddly, Funny, Sexy Ads Most Effective in the Big Game
An analysis of Super Bowl ads airing over the past six years (2005-2010) reveals that commercials featuring animals, humor and scantily clad women often show higher resonance among males and females. “Resonance,” one of Nielsen’s “4 Rs” of advertising effectiveness (Reach, Receptivity, Resonance, Reaction), shows how well a campaign generated the desired viewer response to the brand. Nielsen data shows that men, in particular, can recall the brand advertised in beer commercials, while non-fatal violence (ie. people crashing into things or being slapped by each other) and collisions/explosions resonates better with women. Teens and young adults (13-34) are more receptive to funny ads, including those with non-fatal violence, while older viewers (35+) show higher recall for ads that feature animals and beer. Across the board, commercials focusing on automotives, charitable organizations, and football-related content do not resonate as strongly.

“Consumers adjusted their behavior during the recession, and we see that trend playing out with the Super Bowl,” said James Russo, vice president, Global Consumer Insights at Nielsen. “Still very concerned about jobs and rising gas prices, consumers remain pragmatic with their spending. They are reducing their spending on entertainment and take-out, spending less on clothes and cutting back on expenses where they can, especially in mid to lower income households. That said consumers overall are cautiously optimistic so we don’t expect to see consumers cutting back as dramatically as they did last year.”

Nielsen’s survey of more than 60,000 U.S. households shows that 85 percent of Super Bowl viewers plan to spend the same amount or less on food and beverages for the Super Bowl this year, while only five percent plan to spend more.

The Most Popular Holiday for Beer Sales?  Not the Super Bowl.
While beer and football may seem like a perfect combination, the Super Bowl is not the most popular beer holiday in the U.S. Nielsen’s research shows that the Super Bowl ranks relatively low among holiday beer sales, after Labor Day, Memorial Day and the Fourth of July.

Snacks, Get Your Snacks
Super Bowl viewers stock their at-home parties with snacks, nearly 177 million pounds of snacks. The potato chip is the Super Bowl king of snacks, with nearly 46 million pounds sold.

“At-home Super Bowl viewing is an opportunity for grocery stores, mass merchandisers and other retailers selling food and beverage items,” said Russo. “The consumer is in control, now more than ever, and how food and beverage retailers demonstrate value and innovation to capture consumer spending, for big at-home viewing events like the Super Bowl or the Oscars is critical.”

A decade ago, the Baltimore Ravens – with a defense coached by Rex Ryan – beat the New York Giants in a lopsided 34-7 victory. Super Bowl XXXV was watched by 84.3 million viewers, down nearly 4 million from the year before. While that level of viewership was still high, the NFL’s prominence in the national consciousness and on television is stronger now, thanks to a perfect storm of social, media, cultural and technological developments in addition to some pretty savvy marketing.

It’s not just the Super Bowl that is drawing more viewers: Regular season ratings are also strong. In the past five years, ratings of NFL games have risen by more than one percentage point (from 9.3 in 2006 to 10.6 in 2010), accounting for more than 3.5 million additional viewers per game. In fact, eight out of the top ten primetime programs for the entire year were football games (and one – Undercover Boss – appeared immediately after the Super Bowl).

What accounts for football’s hold on the television population? As usual, there isn’t only one answer, but here are some possibilities.

Cross Marketing
While most other professional sports are broadcast on two or three networks, the NFL is spread across five, including three of the four major broadcast networks. This ubiquity has the effect of creating a cross-platform promotional powerhouse. Although the networks ostensibly promote their own upcoming games, in reality they are promoting football in general and the average viewer is exposed to myriad football promotions throughout the season. As a consequence, the average viewer is virtually guaranteed exposure to football marketing and advertising.

More Female Fans
More American women watch the NFL than any other team sport, and not just the Super Bowl.  In the regular season, the NFL has eclipsed Major League Baseball and the National Basketball Association in having the largest percentage of female viewers. In the past decade the NFL has launched several marketing and outreach programs, including coaching clinics, apparel that fits women and donning pink during breast cancer awareness month. Further, watching football tends to be a social event, with people watching in groups of varying gender composition. As a result, the percentage of the football audience that is female has grown from 32.6% in 2006 to 33.6% in 2010.

Biggest markets have successful seasons
NFL has always relied on a mix of large and small markets, and with a strict salary cap and generous revenue sharing, teams from smaller markets such as Green Bay or Pittsburgh can compete financially with Chicago or New York.  As a result markets and regions are not perpetually at a competitive disadvantage as they are in other sports. In 2010, a whopping 24 of 32 NFL Local Markets enjoyed higher regular season ratings, with New Orleans pulling in the highest rating (43.9, up 6%) and St. Louis posting the highest percentage growth (up 66%).

Nevertheless, this year, some of the largest markets had the most successful teams and their local regular season game ratings posted solid increases, which contributed to higher national ratings when these teams appeared in national broadcasts.

QBs have Become Stars, On and Off the Field
In 2001, journeyman Trent Dilfer led the Ravens to a Championship, creating the perception that a team can win a Super Bowl without a marquee quarterback. Most NFL teams now subscribe to the belief that the quarterback is the most critical cog, both on and off the field. The Cowboys, for example, lost QB Tony Romo to injury and saw their season and ratings go south.

In recent years, the NFL has tried to safeguard their stars, implementing rules to ensure that the QB isn’t tackled low, hit in the head or after the whistle. And to a large extent, the quarterbacks this year were healthy and able to serve as the marquee names for their teams.

Interest in quarterbacks goes beyond the stadium: they are making news off the field too. Many have been linked romantically to supermodels, actresses and singers, creating news in celebrity magazines and other non-traditional media. Others have generated publicity for less positive reasons.

Leading the Super Bowl XLV teams are Aaron Rodgers of the Packers and Ben Roethlisberger of the Steelers. Rodgers is a rising star but  Roethlisberger, who has already won two Super Bowl rings, saw his reputation suffer in the wake of sexual assault allegations that were brought against him.

These perceptions of Rodgers and Roethlisberger are borne out by their N-Scores.  Together with E-Poll, Nielsen has devised a method of measuring the endorsement potential of more than 1,000 athletes and sports personalities.  Neither Rodgers nor Roethlisberger have N-Scores that approach the best known and most popular quarterbacks:

The trend lines further illustrate the challenges trajectory of Rodgers and Roethlisberger’s N-Score ratings:

Throughout 2010, football continued to break TV ratings records, showing that even in a fragmented media environment, it is still possible to generate large television numbers for programming that attracts viewers in all demographics. Nielsen cannot predict whether this year’s Super Bowl will have the largest TV audience in history, but it is all but certain to be the most-watched program of 2011.

For more historical information on Super Bowl viewing, please see the following historical table: