2011 Super Bowl Ad Recap – Volkswagen Delivers
Posted by Paul Schlueter on Monday, February 07, 2011 at 4:59 PM | More From This Author »
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.