Super Bowl ads with celebrities flop?

If the companies that spend millions to advertise in the Super Bowl want viewers to like their ads, the ads should feature a cute kid instead of a pop star, say University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire marketing professors Dr. Chuck Tomkovick and Dr. Rama Yelkur, who have done multiple studies on Super Bowl advertising. “In the past, including a celebrity in your ad was a no-brainer,” said Tomkovick. “For years the use of celebrities was among the top predictors of popular Super Bowl ads. But our most recent research shows that’s no longer true. Celebrities have lost their influence when it comes to popular Super Bowl ads.” With most Super Bowl ads are now running 30 seconds, ad length also is no longer a predictor of likeability, Tomkovick said. Instead, including children has become a top predicator of Super Bowl ad likeability, as has the amount of information shared about a product, Yelkur said. — University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire