Study: Big Game Brand Name Recall Is Low

Despite unprecedented hype around television ads that ran during this year’s Big Game, many viewers said they didn’t watch them – and even when they did, consumer recall of brands advertising during the game was uniformly low, according to a research study conducted by Nielsen Entertainment for the Radio Advertising Bureau (RAB).

Although the game brings out the advertising industry’s best commercials, the results of the study show the limitations of television ads in selling products and highlight the fact that sight, sound and motion can distract from advertisers’ basic messages -- in contrast to radio, where the audio message is more direct and personal and is not obscured by video or picture.

While ad recall may have been as high as 57 percent, on average, only 12 percent of viewers could recall the type of product being advertised.  Similarly, the brand was recalled by only 14 percent of viewers, on average, but in several cases by fewer than 1 in 10 viewers. 

“The strength of radio’s unique audio delivery drives product and brand recall,” stated Erica Farber, RAB President and CEO, “As recent studies have proven, radio performs tremendously to extend brand awareness established on TV and further, impacts product and brand awareness as a stand-alone and when added to a TV campaign.”