Pro Football: NOT 'The Most Effective Advertising Delivery System Ever Invented'

Earlier this week, New York Times ad columnist Stuart Elliott wrote that “professional football is probably the most effective advertising delivery system ever invented. Ratings data provide evidence …The most-watched series in prime time during the 2011-12 television season was not a drama, a comedy or a reality show: it was ‘Sunday Night Football’ on NBC. Likewise, Super Bowl XLVI on Feb. 5 was the most-watched program in American television history.”

To which he adds: “And most people watching football are watching the games — and the commercials — live rather than taping and replaying them. Advertisers far prefer live viewing because so many people skip commercials during taped replays.”

While it is a fool’s errand to argue with Stuart — who tracks advertising developments about as closely as anyone else in the world — I might take issue with the notion that guys who watch pro football (and I am one of them) really pay close attention to commercials.