Doritos, Taco Bell and M&M's Top Local Teens' List of Favorite Super Bowl Commercials

The results are in...

On Monday, February 4^th, all Durham and Middlefield 7^th & 8^th graders  had the opportunity to join with over 20,000 students from 32 states across the county and vote on their favorite Super Bowl ads and let us know what products they remembered being advertised.  The survey was lead by the EDGE (Excellent Decisions Guiding Everyday) Team sponsored by Durham Middlefield Youth and Family and both the Strong School as part of the Drug-Free Action Alliance’s 10th Annual BIG BOWL VOTE. 

Doritos – Goat 4 Sale ad ranked #1 and overwhelmingly stole the show among middle school students.  Yet Anheuser-Bush’s  “Clydsdale” Ad ranked as the #6 most memorable ad among our teens and their Budweiser products were the 2^nd most recalled products our teens remembered being advertised. 

'Goat 4 Sale' Ad Wins Super Bowl Contest with 1.2 Million Votes

According to Nielsen, 108.4 million viewers tuned in for this year’s Super Bowl, making it the third most-watched broadcast in TV history. We also learned from Nielsen that more than half of the viewing audience was likely tuned in more for the high priced commercials (which cost between $3.8 to $4 million per 30 second spot) than the game itself.

How many of those viewers were underage youth? Plenty! According to preliminary results of the Big Bowl Vote, 72% of participating sixth through eighth graders and 73% of ninth through twelfth graders watched the Super Bowl.

And what did they like best nationally? The goat with an insatiable hunger for Doritos. It took top spot among both middle and high school students. Taco Bell’s old folks hitting the town was the second favorite among both age groups. But the Budweiser ad was not far behind. The story of the Clydesdale growing up, but never forgetting the “brother” who raised him, stole hearts of all ages. This alcohol ad placed third favorite among the high school crowd and fourth
favorite among the middle school group. And when students were asked what brand products they remember being advertised during the Super Bowl, Anheuser-Busch was the second highest recalled ad for all students.

Here is the Durham and Middlefield Data (Note: Only Durham and Middlefield’s Strong Students completed the survey this year):

Top 10 FAVORITE Commercials
Middle School Students:  Durham Middlefield

1. Doritos: Goat 4 Sale                              

2. Taco Bell: We are Young                             

3. M&M’s:  Anything for Love

4. GoDaddy.com:  Beauty & Brains Kiss                      

5. Oreo:  Crème vs. Cookie                 

6. Budweiser:  Clydesdale                    

7. Doritos:  Fashionista Daddy                           

8. Coca-Cola:  Coke Race    

9. Pistachios:  Crack ‘em Gangnam Style                            

10.  Sketchers:  Man vs. Cheetah

Top 10 Most RECALLED Products

Middle School Students:  Durham Middlefield

1. Doritos

2. Budweiser Beer

3. M&Ms

4. Oreos

5. Taco Bell

6. Coca-Cola

7. GoDaddy.com

8. Hyundai

9. Pepsi

10 Audi

What does  this mean? Research reveals that young people are drawn to advertising that  features animal and people characters, tells a story and makes them laugh. If the target demographic for Doritos and Taco Bell is middle and high school aged  youth, the advertiser was right on the mark. But what about the Budweiser  Clydesdale ad; cute animal, warm-hearted story, feel-good ending? What’s not to like? Intended audience or not, this one caught the attention of the young viewers.

Does this mean more kids will now start drinking alcohol because they liked the ad? Maybe. According to a study where researchers investigated alcohol advertising to learn what makes it attractive to youth, the alcohol ads that young people found to be appealing were more likely to elicit responses from them saying they wanted to purchase the brand and products advertised.We also know that the more youth are exposed to alcohol advertising, the more likely they are to drink (drink to excess and drink more often).

Watch for an upcoming article on what parents can do to help process this information with their teens!!!

For more information contact:

Jane Moen, DMYFS jmoen.dmyfs@comcast.net

Kirsten Beers, Strong School kbeers@rsd13.org