The research reveals that while more than half of all Americans or 54% plan to watch Super Bowl XXXVIII, as many as 50% of those will watch specifically for the commercials.
There was further good news for media planners and buyers in the statistic that nearly three in five viewers or 58% claim to pay closer attention to ads during the Super Bowl than they do to ads they see every day.
The research will bring comfort to media buyers as the 2004 Super Bowl has seen the price of advertising spots hit a new high with the average price of a 30-second commercial coming in at a record-breaking $2.3m (£1.25m).
Ads to run in this year's Super Bowl include: Budweiser, which is running a total of five minutes of airtime and spending more than $20m; Pepsi-Cola has three minutes; and General Motors, America Online and the National Football League have each bought a minute-and-a-half of airtime from CBS.
The research proves, says Joe Mandese editor-in-chief of US trade magazine MediaPost, that Super Bowl ads compare quite favourably with other media buys in terms of their efficiency in generating audience reach -- particularly among men.
"When you consider that Super Bowl spots are one of the few advertising buys that are guaranteed to reach consumers who are actually in a mindset to watch advertising, the real value is much greater than their pure media cost," Mandese said.
In a companion survey of media planners, InsightExpress and MediaPost found that almost all media planners see the Super Bowl spots as effective in raising consumer awareness.
It found that most media agency staffers not only believe consumers pay closer attention to commercials during the big game, but more importantly that the ads will also influence purchase behaviour.
The price and the impact of a Super Bowl commercial puts extra pressure on advertisers, according to Lee Smith, president of InsightExpress, which was behind the research.
"Given the financial and reputational risk of reaching so many consumers at a single time, Super Bowl advertisers need to ensure their ads will resonate with consumers on game day. Wise advertisers will have measured the effectiveness of their commercials in advance -- making adjustments to ensure their ads are understood, are memorable and meet their advertising objectives," he said.
The research found that consumers and advertisers alike agreed that the most important attributes of a memorable Super Bowl ad include humour, special effects and catchphrases, but humour is the over-arching theme in viewers' favourite ads from last year's game; Budweiser's "football Clydesdales' instant replay" (34%); Pepsi's "Lemon Twist with the Osbournes" (19%); Visa's "yo-yao" (18%); Reebok's "Terry Tate office linebacker" (13%); and FedEx's "castaway" (13%).
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