80% of Super Bowl Ads Don't Work

A recently released study of 1,000 consumers concludes 80% of Super Bowl ads do not achieve sales for brands. The study, which surveyed respondent before and after they viewed 2012 and 2013 Super Bowl ads, was conducted by Tucson-based research firm Communicus.

Communicus queried participants about their buying patterns - recently bought and intend to buy -- in product categories represented in Super Bowl ads. It also surveyed whether or not respondents saw Super Bowl ads.

As to why Super Bowl ads don't work, Communicus CEO Jeri Smith told Advertising Age brands simply don't run their Super Bowl ads enough and that "we find that one ad exposure often isn't enough to make anything happen."

She also commented on the creative approach to Super Bowl ads saying, "The advertisers really dial up the entertainment quotient to pop to the top of the USA Today rankings and such. But we find the brand association with Super Bowl commercials is much lower than you'd get with a typical buy, just because of the way the creative is structured."

And while Super Bowl ads are well remembered (44% versus 32% for non-Super Bowl ads) because of the often crazy creative approaches brands employ, that approach results in lower brand recall (35% versus about 50% for non-Super Bowl ads).

And so it goes. The battle for Super Bowl creative supremacy does not always accomplish what matters most to brands: sales.