MUMBAI: American TV ad effectiveness ratings company IAG Research has released data on the Brand Recall, Message Recall and Likeability of advertisements during the ongoing Winter Olympics.

According to IAG, brands running advertisements during the Olympics and other broadcast primetime programming (10 to15 February 2006) achieved higher recall rates for advertisements during the Olympics. On average, the Olympics delivered 17 per cent higher brand recall, 36 per cent higher message recall and 36 per cent higher likeability than the average primetime show.

In addition, for those brands running the heaviest advertising schedules in the Olympics -- those with 5 or more primetime units the data shows that taken as a group, they are getting positive results. For example, McDonald's, is generating 16% higher Brand Recall from its advertisements in the Olympics and Coca-Cola is generating 24 per cent higher recall.

IAG Research measures the effectiveness of television advertising, product placement as well as cinema advertising and is used by such industry leaders as American Express, General Motors, Procter & Gamble, Verizon, and GlaxoSmithKline.