Super Bowl ads: Jessica Wins in Pre-Game Survey

ROCHESTER, N.Y. (Top40 Charts/ Roberts Communications) - Sex doesn't always sell, but it retains the attention of both men and women.

Nearly half of all area viewers recall a Super Bowl ad featuring Jessica Simpson - with more women than men remembering it. The sexy ad for Pizza Hut had the highest recall, even though it ranked the least favorite in a poll taken immediately after last year's game.

That's one finding from an online survey about Super Bowl ads taken by more than 650 viewers. The survey, developed and analyzed with the help of BRX Global Research Services, Inc., is part of Roberts Communications' Customer Bowl II: Rochester Rates the Ads. Findings include:
* More than 75 percent of viewers remember at least one commercial; but fewer than half even tried answering the question of what teams played last year; and 20 percent of the people who tried got the teams wrong.
* The majority of people remember at least one Super Bowl ad from last year: 43 percent recalled one to two ads; 25 percent recalled three to four ads; and 22 percent didn't remember any ads.
* Of respondents who remembered commercials, 61 percent recalled the Jessica Simpson spot; 55 percent remember the Bud Light's "Magic Fridge;" and 51 percent remember Budweiser's "Clydesdale American Dreams."
* 52 percent of people would not pay to watch the Super Bowl, but among those who would pay, 40 percent would still want the commercials.
* 64 percent will be watching the game with other people - at a party or at their own home with guests - while 28 percent will be watching at home without guests.

Bill Murtha, CEO of Roberts Communications, noted that the poll is not a random sample, and a variety of factors could affect the results - including additional airings of the ads.

"It would be easy to overanalyze the data, but our Customer Bowl project demonstrates the continued power of TV advertising," Murtha said. "In the age of new media, where television is losing much of its impact, commercials with a clever story or the right celebrity can make a strong and memorable impression."