Media Post: Monday Big For Advertiser Websites

A number of television advertisers' websites posted dramatic increases in the number of visitors within minutes of the actual television advertisement airing. For example, Cadillac ran five ads between 8:30 p.m. and 11:00 p.m., and visitors to cadillac.com jumped more than tenfold over this period. Also, Warner Brothers ran one ad for The Matrix sequels between 6:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. and one for Terminator 3 between 7:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. Consumers were clearly interested in learning more about these upcoming films, with traffic jumping more than 300 percent at their respective sites. And, H&R Block ran seven ads between 3:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m.; traffic more than doubled at the site during this time period.

While a great many people visited Super Bowl advertiser sites during the game, the highest traffic levels to these sites occurred the Monday after, when Web users at and work resumed their regular weekday surfing routines. This would appear to indicate that "word of mouth advertising" played a key role in increasing interest in the advertised products and services — and that the Internet played a key role in satisfying consumers' needs.