Innis Maggiore Survey Rates Super Bowl Advertising

Canton-area Residents To Decide What?s Good-What Isn't

CANTON, Ohio (January 20, 2004) -- Super Bowl hype is back, but we're not talking about the game.

Once again, advertisers will fork over millions of dollars to run their commercials during the most-watched sporting event of the year Feb.1. Some of those ads will resonate with viewers; others will have far less than a positive reaction.

In Canton, Ohio, home of the Pro Football Hall of Fame and birthplace of the sport, Innis Maggiore Group, an advertising and public relations firm, returns with its sixth annual survey of Super Bowl ads. Residents will vote on what worked -- and what didn't. All participants are eligible for prizes awarded by co-sponsors Fishers Foods and Harry London Chocolates.

"In past surveys, we found that people were almost as passionate about the ads as they were about the outcome of the game," said Dick Maggiore, president and CEO of Innis Maggiore Group. "The survey is our way of sharing opinions about the ads as seen from the center of pro-football's history with the rest of the nation."

To participate in the survey, visit www.superbowlspots.com. Results will be made public the day after the game and will be posted on the website. Among the prizes are gift certificates for Fishers Foods and tins of Harry London chocolates.

"Last year, we found that ads with punch-line humor scored the highest among the Canton area viewers," Maggiore said. "It will be interesting to see if the same holds true this year - if the ads that win are the ads that give the biggest laughs."

Innis Maggiore Group is an advertising and public relations firm with more than 50 associates at offices in Canton and Youngstown, Ohio. The company quadrupled in size between 1997 and 2002, and is projecting 2003 capitalized billings of more than $30 million. In May 2003, Advertising Age ranked Innis Maggiore the fastest-growing agency in Ohio for two consecutive years. Key clients include Aultman Health Foundation, FitWorks Fitness Centers, Liquid Control Corp., Louisiana-Pacific Corp., NEOUCOM, Nickles Bakery, Parker Hannifin, Progressive Foam Technologies, Rainbow Rentals, Republic Engineered Products and Smithers-Oasis Co. Innis Maggiore is a member of the American Association of Advertising Agencies, the Direct Marketing Association, the National Investor Relations Institute and the Public Relations Society of America.