We're not so concerned with who wins the game on Sunday. We're more concerned about who has the best commercial. And you can help decide!

Again, we've teamed up with Harvest Research Center to determine who will have the most memorable commercial. Will it be Doritos, Volkswagen, Coca-Cola or will someone else claim the top spot?   The Big Game Advertising Survey will help us decide.

Make sure your opinion gets heard by registering for the Big Game Advertising Survey. You could win one of five $100 VISA gift cards.

In the meantime, check out Honda's early released Ferris Bueller spot.

In 2011, Flynn Wright’s MarketWatch omnibus asked a few questions to help discover the use of social media among Des Moines metro residents. The first question we asked helped us determine the percentage of Des Moines metro residents who consider themselves regular Facebook or Twitter users. The second question asked those regular Facebook and Twitter users if they had "liked" or "followed" a local Iowa business in the past six months.

Do you regularly use social media sites such as Facebook or Twitter?


In the past six months have you liked, become a fan of, or followed a local business in Iowa on one of these social media sites?

Approximately 35% or 197,017* of Des Moines metro area residents reported regularly using Facebook. In addition, 10% or 56,290* reported regularly using Twitter. Among these Facebook and Twitter users, approximately two out of every five or roughly 109,000* have started a social relationship with a local Iowa business in the past six months.
*Numbers are based of the 2010 Census Bureau statistics for the Des Moines Metropolitan area.

Facebook, Twitter and Your Business
Understanding the Des Moines metro social media usage statistics, we ask local Iowa business', what are you doing to grow your social audience? I often see commercials that encourage viewers to like a company's Facebook page. Other companies use print ads, outdoor and radio spots that ask their audiences to become a fan of their business in exchange for a chance to win concert tickets or have their kitchen remodeled. Has your business run any similar promotions? And if so, which type of call to action has worked the best for you in the past; contests, challenges, giveaways, sweepstakes?

What is our MarketWatch omnibus study?
This research tool employs an established sample size and demographic model which allows results of Flynn Wright’s MarketWatch study to be reliably projected on the market as a whole.

Since 2001, Flynn Wright’s MarketWatch omnibus study has provided evaluation of brand awareness and ratings for the business-to-consumer market within the Greater Des Moines area. Gender, age and income breakouts for the second quarter reflect the most recent available U.S. census data. A sample of approximately 300 individuals has been surveyed throughout Polk County and the immediately surrounding ZIP codes. Surveys were conducted through computer-aided phone interviews (CATI) during June of 2011.

...but our poll results are in!
Among individuals who took the Royal Wedding poll, it appears that about half (53%) were following the wedding and 35% at least planned on watching. However, 59% of poll respondents had no particular plans for the event, and 58% did not intend to watch the wedding. While respondents showed a slight interest in the Royal Wedding, the majority was not as captivated by the event as the media made it sound.

Question One




When it came to watching the Royal Wedding, respondents were just as likely to be ecstatic about it as they were to have no interest in it. At the far end of the spectrum, 29% of poll respondents said "no way" to watching the wedding. At the other end of the spectrum, 29% of respondents couldn't wait to watch Prince William get hitched. When combining the "no way" and "most likely not" responses, it appears that overall, 58% of people did not plan to watch the Royal Wedding, while 35% of respondents were "most likely" or "definitely"  planning to watch.

Question Two


Approximately 59% of individuals had no special plans for the wedding. Among those who did have plans, an enthusiastic 12% hosted a very late, or early, party last Friday.

Question Three
 

In the days preceding the event, approximately 24% of respondents were following the Royal Wedding relatively closely, 29% were at least following it, and 48% of respondents really were not following it.

This Friday at 2:15am CST (8:15 in London) the Royal Wedding coverage beings. Prince William will marry Kate Middleton, making her the newest addition to the Royal Family as Princess Kate. News stations like the BBC are planning 184 hours of Royal coverage, CNN has 145 reporters in London covering the story, and specialty channels like TLC and We are showcasing Royal Wedding specials all week.

Where does your obsession, or wariness, of the Royal Wedding fall in the scope of it all? Around Flynn Wright, everyone is talking about the big wedding and discussing their plans to attend Royal Wedding parties. So Des Moines, are you awaiting the big day as anxiously as all of us? 

Take our quick poll and tell us your royal Wedding plans!

Results of the poll will be posted on the blog next week. See you then.

Last evening, while most of us were winding down from our respective Super Bowl festivities, participants from the Harvest Research Center consumer panel and guest panelists were busy putting the final word on Super Bowl XLV advertising. Their instant feedback demonstrates the power of instant research and once again provided a first-to-market consumer perspective of the winners and losers within the advertising industry’s game-within-a-game.

And the winner is? Volkswagen.
Advertising is all about connection and if you watched the game with a large group you probably felt it the moment that ad ran. With its “Kid Vader” ad Volkswagen deftly tapped a universal shared experience and unlocked deep-seated emotions within its primary target audience. Unlike many Super Bowl ads, this one did not get in the way of its own success. With thoughtful delivery and subtle restraint, Volkswagen evoked powerful childhood memories and managed to bind that good will directly to the brand. The spot carried 97% recall and earned an 82% approval rating among the 25 – 34-year-old demographic, no doubt a critical audience for the Passat. Even master Yoda could not have done it better.



Once again Flynn Wright partnered with Harvest Research Center to conduct this annual study of Super Bowl advertising throughout the Midwest. Testing continues today with our annual Vibetrak study which collects moment-by-moment response to the game’s best advertising. Download Harvest Research Center’s 2011 results here and watch for our Vibetrak rankings of 2011 top ads to post soon.