Super Bowl XLVIII is poised to overshadow more than just Groundhog Day this Sunday; five days after kickoff marks the Opening Ceremony of the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics. With two of the worlds biggest sporting events happening only days apart, a BAVC comparison between the two brands seems only natural.

Last year, Super Bowl Sunday was the most watched night of Primetime Television, with more than 108.5 million viewers tuning in for the game. From a financial standpoint, the past 10 Super Bowls (2003-2012) have generated more than $1.85 billion in network advertising sale across more than 130 marketers.

The Olympic Games also boasted high viewership stats: more than 219.4 million Americans watched the 2012 London Summer Olympics, which boasted an unparalleled 5,535 hours of coverage across NBC and its affiliates.

As social media platforms, such as Facebook and Twitter, have developed into legitimate news sources, consumers have found new ways to connect to events like the Super Bowl and Olympic Games. Across the 16-day span that the London Summer Olympics were broadcasted, over 150 million Tweets about the games disseminated across cyberspace. Similarly, last year’s Super Bowl generated 24.1 million Tweets.

The question therefore becomes: given the large viewership and interest in both the Super Bowl and Olympic Games, which brand ultimately reigns supreme according to the BAVC data?

THE SUPER BOWL VS. THE OLYMPIC GAMESWhich event has the stronger brand?

The Sporting Event I’d Prefer to Watch or AttendWith higher Admired Differences, The Super Bowl is also more preferred to The Olympic Games.

37%30%

Energized Differentiation is more than a brand’s point of difference, it also shows how excited consumers are about a brand. Esteem measures how well regarded a brand is. Together they create Admired Differences, which relate to loyalty and advocacy.The Super Bowl has more Admired Differences than 95% of the 3,000+ brands tracked by BAV in 2013, while The Olympic Games scores higher than 92% of all other brands.

95 92

The Super Bowl gets credit for the rugged nature of football and the fun, social element of bringing together friends and family, while The Olympics gets credit for its unique way of connecting people around the globe. But, whereas The Olympics span several weeks across multiple TV channels and include various rounds of competition within different athletic categories, The Super Bowl is one big, concentrated event focused on football alone. Additionally, the Super Bowl has something for everyone to connect to: win-or-go- home football for fans, a plate of chicken wings for foodies (the National Chicken Council estimates 1.25 billion wings will be consumed during Super Bowl XLVIII), and commercials and a half time show to entertain the rest.

Percent Difference

But

Why

?

-6 -3 0 3 6 9 12

Rugged

Fun

Social

Unique

SociallyResponsible

Visionary

are more…

is more…In the end, while both events get

viewership lifts among Social Media Users, The Super Bowl gets a bigger lift

and reigns supreme due to its more social nature.

Viewership PercentageAdults NOT on Social

Media Social

Media Users

62%

70%

59%

62%