What This Year’s Annual Super Poll Revealed
The importance of music to big game ads
For the fourth year in a row, Platinum Rye Entertainment (PRE) conducted an annual survey of viewers' habits and practices for Big Game Ads. The survey of 1,000+ viewers historically explores what people look for in these commercials, the role of celebrities, engagement with these ads before, during and after the game and more.
New this year was a focus on music given the growing use of music in these ads, the increased interest in licensing and halftime musical performances and even the introduction of a two-day concert series in the host city. And what we've found may both surprise and delight marketers with a vested interest in Super Bowl ads.
Among the key findings:
Respondents said the use of a favorite song in a Super Bowl ad was more memorable than a favorite movie character/scene or a favorite celebrity.
Q. Which is more memorable to you in a Super Bowl ad?
via Platinum Rye Entertainment (PRE) Big Game Ads survey
Super Bowl ads are vehicles for discovering or rediscovering music, with 44 percent of respondents having hunted down a song after hearing it in an ad. This behavior is correlated with youth.
Q. Have you ever gone to stream/download a song after hearing it in a Super Bowl ad?
via Platinum Rye Entertainment (PRE) Big Game Ads survey
Music helps to open wallets. Most respondents have purchased or would purchase something after seeing an ad with a musician or song they love. Millennials are the most likely to do so.
Q. Would you/have you ever purchased a product after seeing a Super Bowl ad with a musician or a song you love?
via Platinum Rye Entertainment (PRE) Big Game Ads survey
When it comes to favorite musical decades, there is — not surprisingly — an age factor. Conventional wisdom holds that people are deeply fond of music from their adolescence. However, the 2010's are not any generation's favorite decade (yet), with gen Z preferring the 2000's of their childhoods.
Q. Which decade's music would you most like to see featured in a Super Bowl ad?
via Platinum Rye Entertainment (PRE) Big Game Ads survey
When ads use nostalgic songs, original artists and recordings have more appeal than updated versions. A majority of gen Z want to see the original artist perform.
Q. When a Super Bowl ad uses a nostalgic song, which of the below matters most to you?
via Platinum Rye Entertainment (PRE) Big Game Ads survey
When asked which celebrity they would most like to see in an ad, the reigning queen of pop topped the chart for a second consecutive year (open-ended question).
Q. What celebrity would you most like to see in a Super Bowl commercial this year?
- Taylor Swift
- Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson
- Kevin Hart
- Jimmy Kimmel
- Beyonce
- Ryan Reynolds
- Tom Cruise
- Sydney Sweeney
- Cardi B
- Peyton Manning
Music contributes to memorability (open-ended question)
Q. Which brand(s) make the most memorable use of music in Super Bowl commercials?
- Budweiser and Bud Light
- Pepsi
- Coca Cola
- Doritos
- Nike
- Apple
Brands remembered for their music have strong overlap with viewers' favorite ads from the last Super Bowl (open-ended question).
Q. Which brand had your favorite Super Bowl commercial last year?
- Budweiser and Bud Light
- Doritos
- Pepsi
- Coca Cola
- Dunkin
- Nike
This year's poll also continued to explore ongoing viewing habits and preferences. Findings were consistent with previous years' polls
Viewing habits and preferences are largely consistent in recent years. The favorite type of commercial is a funny one, with "throwback" a distant second.
Q. What is your favorite type of Super Bowl commercial?
via Platinum Rye Entertainment (PRE) Big Game Ads survey
The game itself is the biggest draw for all viewer groups. The percentage of women watching "Mostly for the game" has been rising in recent years and now stands at 34 percent, compared with 20 percent three years ago. And viewers watching "Mostly for the commercials" continue to skew female.
Q. What do you watch the Super Bowl for?
via Platinum Rye Entertainment (PRE) Big Game Ads survey
Across the board, most viewers watch every ad.
Q. Do you tend to...
via Platinum Rye Entertainment (PRE) Big Game Ads survey
Given a choice, viewers would prefer to see the commercials for the first time during the game.
Q. Do you prefer to see the ads for the first time...
via Platinum Rye Entertainment (PRE) Big Game Ads survey
Regardless of that preference, half of viewers are "very likely or somewhat likely" to engage with content before the game, as many brands release teasers or the full ads in advance.
Q. How likely are you to engage with a brand's Super Bowl content (non-TV) before the game?
via Platinum Rye Entertainment (PRE) Big Game Ads survey
That figure goes up to 55 percent during the game, reflecting "second screen" behavior.
Q. How likely are you to engage with a brand's Super Bowl content (non-TV) during the game?
via Platinum Rye Entertainment (PRE) Big Game Ads survey
And it climbs to 61 percent after the game. Advertising works.
Q. How likely are you to engage with a brand's Super Bowl content (non-TV) after the game?
via Platinum Rye Entertainment (PRE) Big Game Ads survey
Every group says celebrities make ads more entertaining...
Q. Are Super Bowl commercials with celebrities more entertaining than those without?
via Platinum Rye Entertainment (PRE) Big Game Ads survey
...And more effective, too.
Q. Are Super Bowl commercials with celebrities more effective than those without?
via Platinum Rye Entertainment (PRE) Big Game Ads survey
Ads with nostalgic IP, reviving characters or casts from bygone TV shows and movies, have been trending in recent years. "Friends" tops the wish list.
Q. Is there an iconic movie/TV character or cast that you would love to see in a Super Bowl ad? (Open ended.)
- Friends
- Superman
- Batman
- Happy Gilmore
- Indiana Jones
Nostalgia even runs through athletes. Of the 10 favorite quarterbacks, only two, Patrick Mahomes and Jalen Hurts, are current players.
Q. Who is your favorite Super Bowl quarterback of all time?
- Tom Brady
- Joe Montana
- Peyton Manning
- Patrick Mahomes
- Jalen Hurts
- John Elway
- Joe Namath
- Terry Bradshaw
- Troy Aikman
- Dan Marino
Implications For Marketers
Findings from this year's PRE Super Poll offer insights into what viewers want and what they remember: humor, nostalgia, celebrities, and music. In the end, advertisers continue to see ROI from Big Game campaigns, but the required investment is massive, starting with the airtime, costs for licensing and celebrities and ballooning into a 360-degree campaign that has to break through.
In other words, it pays to be memorable.
About This Year's Super Poll
Platinum Rye Entertainment (PRE), procurers of talent, music and IP for brands and agencies, fielded a survey in September of 1,000+ viewers across a representative sample of genders, ages and ethnicities. Questions covered the viewing experience, what people look for in Big Game ads, the role of celebrities in the ads, and more.
The views and opinions expressed are solely those of the contributor and do not necessarily reflect the official position of the ANA or imply endorsement from the ANA.
