ROCHESTER, N.Y. — A screaming squirrel saved by a set of fast-turning Bridgestone tires, Justin Timberlake being dragged up skyscrapers and through streets as a fan sips on a Pepsi, and the baby who with the help of E-Trade can buy and sell stocks are just some of the images from last year’s Super Bowl broadcast. Which ads will stand out this year?
Viewers who share their thoughts on this year’s Super Bowl TV commercials could win a pair of tickets to a Buffalo Bills home game next season as part of Roberts Communications’ Customer Bowl IV: Rochester Rates the Ads.
Roberts is encouraging local consumers to visit www.customerbowl.com after the game on Sunday, Feb. 1, and take a short online survey about this year’s Super Bowl advertising. Participants who complete the survey will be entered in a raffle to win a pair of tickets to a Buffalo Bills 2009-2010 season home game. The winner will be announced with the results of the survey, on Monday Feb. 2.
“With such a high percentage of the population viewing the game, it’s a great opportunity to learn about people’s preferences,” explained Roberts CEO Bill Murtha. “We’re excited to see which ads come out on top.”
First time advertisers participating in Super Bowl XLIII include Denny’s restaurant chain, Pedigree dog food and Coca-Cola’s Coke Zero. H&R Block will be returning to Super Bowl commercials for the first time in many years. FedEx Corp., General Motors Corp. and Garmin Ltd. opted out of advertising during this year’s game.
About Customer Bowl
For advertisers spending $3 million for every 30-second spot this year, the real battle is not over which team scores the most touchdowns, but over which ad scores better with the huge television audience – more than 97.5 million viewers tuned in at some point during last year’s Super Bowl XLII.
To see what Rochester viewers think, Roberts will post a “water cooler poll” immediately after the game, at www.customerbowl.com. The brief online survey will provide a quantitative snapshot of which ads people in Rochester are talking about and why – the good, the bad and the in between. Respondents will be eligible to win a pair of tickets to a Buffalo Bills home game during the 2009-2010 season.
Customer Bowl reflects the Roberts CustomerThink® approach to marketing communications. As Murtha summarizes, “It doesn’t matter what the creative directors at the agency think, or even the advertisers themselves. All that matters is what customers think and whether advertising reaches target audiences with the desired effect.”