Ads for Snacks, Beer Score Big Among Teens in 2012 Big Bowl Vote

Middle and high school students said Super Bowl ads for M&Ms, Doritos and Bud Light were their favorites, in an informal national survey to help measure the impact of alcohol advertising that runs during the Super Bowl.

More than 40,000 teens in 42 states voted in “Big Bowl Vote 2012” on Monday, February 6, the day after the Super Bowl. The survey, sponsored by The Drug-Free Action Alliance (DFAA), is intended to gauge which commercials the students remember and prefer, and to help students more thoughtfully evaluate alcohol advertising. The group says the more youth are exposed to alcohol in advertising, the more likely they are to consume alcohol underage.

Given Monday morning following the Super Bowl, the DFAA Big Bowl Vote consists of a two-question student questionnaire about what advertisements they remember seeing and which commercial was their favorite.

This year, preliminary results indicate the M&M’s commercial “Just My Shell” got the most votes among both middle and high school students. The Doritos ad “Dog Buries Cat” was number two, followed by another Doritos ad, “Sling Shot Baby,” and Bud Light’s “Rescue Dog Wego.”

DFAA encourages parents to watch TV commercials with their middle and high school students, and help them read between the lines to recognize the influence of media messages. “It doesn’t have to be an alcohol advertisement to be a learning experience,” according to the group. “The key is to teach your child that no matter the product being promoted, there is an advertiser with an intended message. It is up to your child to think critically to interpret that message and apply it in his/her life appropriately.”