GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Sports fans across the country tune in annually for the biggest match up between football teams. While many viewers tune in to watch the Superbowl for the game, other viewers are paying more attention to the ads aired during commercial breaks. Among them, employees of Hanon McKendry advertising agency of Grand Rapids.
"We are reviewing what is really important tonight, and that is the ads," said Bill McKendry co-founder of Hanon McKendry advertising.
Five of Hanon McKendry's agency partners also participated in the "Advertising Bowl" from across the country. Co-workers gather to vote on what they think was the best and worst ads aired during the big game.
"I think the everyday person is watching the Super Bowl and they want to laugh or they want to see a story that makes them feel good. So people are watching for a different reason, for entertainment," said McKendry. "For us as advertising professionals, we look for something a little different. 'Have they used that 30 seconds to move their business forward or their ideas forward?'"
According to the National Retail Federation, it's estimated that 189 million people will be watching Sunday's Super Bowl. With that large of a crowd, advertisers are willing to spend a lot of money to reach a large audience.
"Over 50 percent of the people who watch the Super Bowl watch as much for the ads as they do the game. This is like the Oscars for advertising, people really invest a lot and they spend a lot. They spend 5 million dollars for 30 seconds during the Super bowl," said McKendry.
Participants used their smart phone this year to vote, allowing real time data to be collected. Five other Hanon McKendry offices also participated in the "Advertising Bowl" from across the country.
"They're gathering in their offices tonight to vote on what they think the consumers would like and what the ad professionals would like, as far as who is the big winners and losers during the Super Bowl," said McKendry.
"In previous years, this was a heck of a lot harder. We've have someone doing data entry all night and now, we're able to share that load," said Stephan Hokanson, Senior Copywriter at Hanon McKendry.
The group released it's prediction of what would be a favorite among consumers for Super Bowl ads, and compared them to what they personally selected.
Predicted Consumer's Favorite Super Bowl Ads
- Dorito's - Ultrasound
- Skittles - The Portrait, with Stephen Tyler
- Heinz Ketchup - Wainer Stampede
Ad Professionals Favorite Super Bowl Ads
- Jeep - Portraits (We don't make Jeep. You do.)
- Apartments.com - Movin' on up (with Jeff Goldblum and Lil Wayne)
- Turbo Tax - Never a Sellout (with Anthony Hopkins)
