Hype always meets hope during timeouts at the Super Bowl, televised to an estimated 130 million Americans and 800 million people worldwide.

        Most Americans — six of 10, according to 1,000 people in an Adweek online poll — tune into the game just to see the ads, not the gridiron action.

        In a year marked by terrorist attacks, a war in Afghanistan and joblessness from a nagging recession, humor again found its way into many Super Bowl ads as companies turned to the most-watched TV event to make an impression.

        “For us, it's not about winning an ad meter but about building the brand,” said Dave DeCecco, spokesman for Pepsi-Cola Co., based in Purchase, N.Y., and the latest company to court heartthrob pop star Britney Spears.

        “We've done the Super Bowl for 17 consecutive years, and it's always a launching pad for one brand or another.”

        New research suggests the popularity of a Super Bowl spot probably does not translate into a bump in sales.

        Eureka! Ranch in Newtown aimed its computerized idea-assessment system called Merwyn at 2001 Super Bowl commercials and found popularity rarely brings sales impact.

        The simulated test-marketing computer, which took six years and $20 million to build, uses millions of cross-referencing data points to predict success or failure of marketing or ad campaigns.

        Results from the USA Today People Meter in 2001 showed, for instance, that a Subway dieters ad was dull and near the bottom of the heap of 54 spots that aired last year.

        It logged in at 51st place by a panel of consumers gathered by USA Today.

        Yet by Merwyn effectiveness standards, it topped all ads for its persuasion potential. The Merwyn system has been proven to reveal marketplace success to within plus or minus 5 percentage points.

        That Subway ad was followed in effectiveness by a Verizon commercial. The Verizon spot was ranked 53rd by USA Today People Meter scoring, though it landed in second place by Merwyn.

        The third place Merwyn finisher was Etrade, which was also ranked second for appeal by USA Today viewers. The top five Merwyn ads were rounded out by another Verizon ad and a Blockbuster spot, yet those ads were ranked 52 and 54, respectively, by the USA Today panel.

        In other words, four of the five least entertaining ads from last year's Super Bowl were among the five most persuasive ads when it came to actually selling something.

        What is popular does not move product, said Doug Hall, chief executive at Eureka! Ranch and founder of Merwyn.

        Super Bowl advertising has become a “big ego-fest,” Mr. Hall said.

        “During the dot-bomb bowl in 2000, some $40 million was spent by a collection of dot-coms. When tracked to see the number of clicks in February, there was no increase,” he said. “It was $40 million wasted.”

        The Merwyn system and Eureka! Ranch have been embraced by a blue-chip roster of clients including Frito-Lay, the world's largest maker of snack foods; Ford Motor Co.; Johnson & Johnson; and American Express.

        The essence of Merwyn is simple: “How much you like (an ad) doesn't relate to whether you are willing to buy,” Mr. Hall said.

        Mr. Hall said he doesn't expect this year's batch to have much impact.

        “What I've seen tonight is a kinder, gentler advertising world,” he said. “The commercials touch my heart, but are unlikely to do much for corporate wallets...other than FOX.”

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