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.

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. 

Some would say it's time for some football. But in reality I think the Big Game has become much more of a commercial phenomenon than anything. Maybe it's because we're in the industry, but our office isn't buzzing about who's playing in the Big Game, even though a semi-local team is in it. It's more set ablaze with buzz about what we think this year's "big" commercial is going to be.

We've worked with Harvest Research Center to put together the annual Big Game Adverting Survey to gauge Iowan's reactions to the commercials. For the past two years, Doritos has been the fire-starter taking the top spot amongst our panel. In 2009, it was the "Chrystal Ball" spot, and in 2010, it was the "Keep Your Hands Off My Doritos" spot. It looks like Iowan's prefer their Big Game commercials to have a little humor.

As we look forward to gathering our results for 2011, we wonder if Doritos will be able to pull the hat trick and take top honors again. I'm hopeful some unforeseen contender is going to blow us away with a new advertising campaign that will be around for years to come instead of for just a short season of commercial runs. We'll see and wait with anticipation.

In the meantime, register to join the Big Game Advertising Survey panel. We've got some great prizes, including a grand prize of $250.

The GAP has spent the better part of the last two decades building a brand image using its logo. So far it's worked great. It helped the GAP become one of the most recognizable American retail brands. It's a mark that speaks sophisticated yet casual, modern, strong and desired.



But all good things must come to an end, I guess.



This new "thing" (I refuse to call it a logo) looks like something made by the high school yearbook staff using Microsoft Word. And from a brand recognition standpoint, it kills everything they have done for the last 20 years. I acknowledge the need to update a logo... but when all of your advertising and marketing dollars go to building a brand that is recognized for its mark... you better be careful. Or second-guess that decision.

I give this new "thing" a few months. The GAP will realize they should have stuck with tradition instead of trying to "recreate" themselves when they already had something good going.