Hasta La Creative!

It would seem the lifespan of a Super Bowl ad keeps growing as Americans will be searching, sharing and rewatching ads this year more than ever before, according to independent San Francisco advertising agency Venables Bell & Partners. Results from its fourth annual Super Bowl survey saw these numbers rise particularly among millennials and those who report they’ll be, ahem, hungover on Super Bowl Monday. Some highlights from the study.

Not only will half of Americans rewatch ads, but 40% will share ads. 86% will do so via Facebook and 30% via sharing on Twitter (a 500% increase from 2012). Theoretically, this means with 111 million people watching the game, and with the average Facebook user having 130 friends, those collective posts could result in over 4.9 billion incremental impressions.

Overall, digital engagement during the Super Bowl has experienced double-digit jumps from 2010-2013, proving Americans are increasingly on two-plus screens during the big event, with Twitter seeing the most gains at 275%. More than half (56%) of viewers plan to be multi-tasking while watching the game, a percentage that drastically increases for young adults, with 86% engaged in more than two screens.

An estimated 31 million Americans (28% of 111 million viewers) will be hungover on Super Bowl Monday. For those who admit they are “likely to be hungover,” social networking habits increase dramatically. 70% of heavier drinkers will be sharing ads on their social networks (vs. 40% survey avg.); 60% of heavier drinkers will post something to Facebook (vs. 34% non/lighter drinkers). Perhaps most important to marketers, intoxicated people report being five times more likely to buy something while watching the game (50% vs. 10% non/lighter drinkers).

The younger generation (18-29) is the most passionate and engaged age group when it comes to Super Bowl ads. 78% (vs. 55% avg.) will pay attention to who is advertising before the game. 43% are likely to vote for their favorite ad (vs. 22% avg.) and 44% are likely to buy something while watching the game (vs. 21% avg.). After the game, 70% will re-watch their favorite ads (vs. 50% avg) and 68% will share ads on Facebook (vs. 40% avg).

Though only 4% of Americans report they actually watched the Super Bowl via online streaming the first time the service was offered last year, this year 26% of Americans reported they would be open to watching the Super Bowl online vs. on a TV, with almost 60% of millennials open to online streaming.

More than a third of millennials also reported they are considering dropping their cable subscription because of access to shows via Netflix, Hulu, iTunes and YouTube (vs. 21% avg.). Overall, 43% of respondents use alternatives to cable to watch television and movies. 18-29 year-olds are leading this digital movement, with 62% saying that cable is not their primary source of entertainment.

For the first year, ads tied with best plays when it comes to what Super Bowl watchers are most likely to discuss the day after the game. Americans also reported they are more likely to “like” a brand (29%) on Facebook that advertises during the Super Bowl than they are to “like” a team (26%).