RESTON, VA.  February 2, 2007 – comScore Networks, a leader in the measuring the digital age, today released the results of a survey of more than 1,500 Americans’ attitudes and opinions related to Super Bowl XLI.  The survey was conducted among consumers who plan to watch this year’s Super Bowl, and respondents were evenly divided between men and women.  The study revealed differences in expectations for the Super Bowl along gender lines, with women more likely than men to look forward to watching the ads, including this year’s line-up of consumer generated commercials.

Men Watch Super Bowl for the Game, Women Watch for the Ads

Although the Super Bowl will be watched by a wide majority of Americans, men and women reported substantial differences in the aspects of the game they most enjoy.  Men overwhelmingly responded that “watching the game” (64 percent) was the most enjoyable part of the festivities, while fewer than half of women responded in kind (31 percent).  Conversely, women were more than twice as likely as men to say they enjoyed watching the ads (36 percent vs. 17 percent).  Women were also more likely to respond that their favorite aspect was spending time with friends or family (22 percent vs. 13 percent) and the half-time show (9 percent vs. 4 percent).

Consumer Generated Commercials Attract Pre-Game Interest

During this year’s Super Bowl, some brands will be joining the consumer generated content bandwagon by airing commercials created, filmed, and produced by members of the general public.  Among the brands intending to air these commercials are Doritos, Chevrolet, and the NFL.  In the months leading up to the Super Bowl, Doritos promoted consumer generated ads for its brand at www.crashthesuperbowl.com, where people could view and vote for their favorite submissions.  From January 1^st through January 28^th, the site attracted 227,000 unique visitors, which demonstrates the broadening appeal of the consumer generated content phenomenon.

In fact, when asked about their expectations for these commercials, more than twice as many respondents (27 percent) said they thought the consumer generated commercials would be more entertaining than thought the professionally-produced commercials would be (13 percent).  Women had even higher expectations for the consumer generated commercials, with 32 percent believing these spots would be more entertaining, and just 10 percent favoring the professionally-produced commercials.

Doritos’ effective promotion of the consumer generated commercial concept appears to be influencing consumer opinions.  Thirty-three percent of respondents said that they were looking forward to seeing the Doritos ads, ranking the brand second only to perennially popular Super Bowl advertiser Anheuser-Busch (66 percent) in terms of consumer anticipation.  Fed Ex, Pizza Hut, and GoDaddy.com each benefited from noteworthy ads during the 2006 Super Bowl, with more than 20 percent of respondents saying they were looking forward to this year’s spots.

Internet Usage an Important Part of Game Day

Of those planning to log onto the Internet on the day of the game, many will do so for Super Bowl-related reasons.  Fifteen percent plan to log on to monitor Super Bowl stats and stories, while 13 percent will look for recipe and party ideas.  Super Bowl advertisements are also likely to spur Internet usage on game day, with 11 percent of those surveyed intending to watch ads online and 10 percent planning to visit Web sites of Super Bowl advertisers.

Fans Predict Colts to Win, Manning to be Named as MVP

Indianapolis registered as the slight Super Bowl favorites, with 53 percent predicting that the Colts would walk away with this year’s Lombardi Trophy.  Prognosticators also indicated that the quarterback position will be especially pivotal to the game’s outcome, as both teams’ quarterbacks were selected as the most likely candidates to win Super Bowl MVP.  Colts quarterback Peyton Manning was selected as the most likely MVP with 37 percent of the vote, while Rex Grossman was the top choice on the Chicago Bears with 13 percent, edging out teammate and All-Pro linebacker Brian Urlacher with 12 percent.

comScore Networks is a global leader in measuring the digital age. This capability is based on a massive, global cross-section of more than 2 million consumers who have given comScore permission to confidentially capture their browsing and transaction behavior, including online and offline purchasing. comScore panelists also participate in survey research that captures and integrates their attitudes and intentions. Through its proprietary technology, comScore provides insight on a broad spectrum of behavior and attitudes.  comScore consultants apply this deep knowledge of customers and competitors to help clients design powerful marketing strategies and tactics that deliver superior ROI.  comScore services are used by global leaders such as AOL, Microsoft, Yahoo!, Verizon, Best Buy, The Newspaper Association of America, Tribune Interactive, ESPN, Fox Sports, Nestlé, MBNA, Universal McCann, the United States Postal Service, Merck and Expedia.  For more information, please visit www.comscore.com.