by 
Probably not.
Nielsen has turned in the numbers on this year’s Super Bowl ads and what was popular and what was memorable were two very different things.
Little Darth Vader attempting to use the Force on everything from baby dolls to the dryer took the top spot as the most popular Super Bowl ad, but it didn’t even make the top ten for brand recall.
Doritos was the winner across the board with ads that were both popular and had high brand recognition. The Pug attack got the top spot for the most recalled brand ad while the licking cheese fingers and grandpa’s ashes came in fourth and fifth for popularity.
Bridgestone’s beaver saves the day ad was the second most popular but didn’t make the recall list at all. Incredibly, the E-Trade baby came in third most popular. I’m over those babies and I’m surprised it pinged at all.
On the recall end, other than Doritos, Budweiser and PepsiMax all scored in the top five.
Groupon didn’t make either list, so apparently their controversial ad wasn’t controversial enough to be remembered.
The marketing takeaway from all of this? Cute is popular but it doesn’t sell cars, expensive fantasy graphics won’t make you remembered or popular, but slapstick sells. Hit a guy with a dog or a woman with a Pepsi can and watch your sales skyrocket.
It’s a sad, sad, world.
See the full list of most popular and most recalled ads at AdAge.com
