Flemington, NJ, January 29, 2009 — HCD Research announced today that it will compare the 2008 and 2009 Super Bowl ad testing scores to determine if viewers respond differently in 2009 as a result of the economy.

Amanda Congdon, a noted writer, actress and producer will introduce the winning ads of Super Bowl XLIII on the company’s mediacurves.com web site on Monday morning after the game.

Congdon has created and co-created many web video projects including her current show, Sometimes Daily, and AC on ABC, Amanda Across America, Rocketboom and Starring Amanda. She has also appeared on CSI: Crime Scene Investigation.

The company will host the study and report the results on its mediacurves.com web site the morning of February 2. 

In addition to the winning ad of Super Bowl XLIII, HCD Research will announce the winning ads in the following categories:

Advertainment
Movie Trailers
Network Spots
Other (public service, call-to-action, etc.)

“We are comparing our testing scores to determine whether people respond to the 2009 ads differently than they did in 2008,” commented Glenn Kessler, president and CEO, HCD Research. “With the challenges in the economy, it will be interesting to see if viewers’ perceptions and emotions are different than last year.”

Ad Testing Methodology

During the game, the Super Bowl ads will be inserted into a web survey and sent to a national representative sample of more than 2,000 participants.  Responders will answer questions regarding their perceptions of the ads using various parameters, including breakthrough, emotion, memorability and involvement. They will also utilize an automated response system to indicate their level of interest in quarter-second intervals as they watch an ad. 

The interest levels will be analyzed in the form of curves to determine which commercials had the highest sustained levels of interest. The curves will be used as part of a metric to calculate and rank the advertisements and determine the winning ads. The metric will also include a measurement for emotions and an index for “word of mouth” impact of the ads.

Editors/Reporters: For more information on the ad testing, or to speak with Glenn Kessler, president and CEO, HCD Research, please contact Vince McGourty, HCD Research, at (908) 483-9121 or (vince.mcgourty@hcdi.net).