Media Kit



MIMIEO polling technology is the foundation for research efforts by several graduate students at Northwestern University. Using real-time collection across multiple channels, MIMIEO polls feedback from people using Facebook, mobile devices such as the iPhone, and the web. This unique approach quickly gathers feedback from multiple consumer segments simultaneously.

The technology was previously used to measure 2008 Super Bowl advertising effectiveness across two key attributes: entertainment value and marketing value. The entertainment score reflected the degree to which viewers liked the advertisement. In contrast, the marketing score reflected the extent to which the ad influenced the viewers’ perceptions of the advertised brand.

Over 10,000 polls were completed within a few hours, and responses were recorded throughout the world. Key findings from the student study revealed some advertisers, such as Pepsi with their Justin Timberlake ad, ranked high in entertainment score, but lower in marketing score. Alternatively, advertisers such as Coke with their Charlie Brown ad, ranked higher in marketing score, but lower in entertainment score. The polling data has been made available to students and faculty to further enhance research on consumer decision making.

The students have also launched polling on the advertising for OSCAR nominated movies. Using a similar approach, the students hope to gain further knowledge on consumer decision making. Additional details regarding the students, technology, and polling results are listed below.

To schedule an interview with one of the students, or obtain additional details about The OSCARS or Super Bowl Ad polling, please contact Glenn Allison, Bryan Tabiadon, or Rohit Bhat. Each of them will be available preceding The OSCARS for comment, as well as until Midnight (CST) on OSCARS night February 24th, and throughout the day on Monday February 25th, 2008. Interviews can be conducted via the phone, e-mail, or an in person visit.

Glenn Allison
Graduate Student at Northwestern University
Focus Area: Marketing
Office: 866-996-4643 x701
glenn.allison@mimieo.com


Bryan Tabiadon
Graduate Student at Northwestern University
Focus Area: Data Analytics and Business Development
Office: 866-996-4643 x702
bryan.tabiadon@mimieo.com


Rohit Bhat
Graduate Student at Northwestern University
Focus Area: Technology and Product Development
Office: 866-996-4643 x703
rohit.bhat@mimieo.com


MIMIEO Super Bowl Downloads

Download the 2008 Super Bowl Ad Rankings as of February 5th, 2008 (29KB XLS).

Download the EnMark Survey for Super Bowl Ads published February 4th, 2008 (286KB PDF).

Download the Under Armour Super Bowl Ad Analysis published February 4th, 2008 (318KB PDF).

Download the MIMIEO Fact Sheet (389KB PDF).

MIMIEO Images


Download MIMIEO iPhone Picture for Media Use (2.86MB JPG)

Photo provided by: sapanahuja photography ©

February 24th, 2008 Press Release - 2008 OSCARS

EVANSTON, IL. --(PR Newswire)-- Students Vote on 2008 OSCARS Ads Using iPhone, Facebook, and Web Polling Technology from MIMIEO

Using MIMIEO, thousands of movie fans are watching and voting on movie trailers for Oscar nominated films using the iPhone, Facebook (PickMe application), and the website www.VoteOscarsAds.com. The polling is part of a graduate student research effort to gauge advertising effectiveness.

The technology offers viewers a convenient method for getting current on Oscar nominated films, and preparing for the February 24th broadcast of the Academy Awards on ABC. Following each movie clip, participants will be asked whether they thought the trailer was entertaining, and whether the ad made them more or less likely to go see the film. Polling responses will then be used to create real-time movie rankings on the www.VoteOscarsAds.com website.

The research is unique since polling data is collected from mobile devices and the web simultaneously, and it offers insight into measurement of both the entertainment and marketing value of ads.

Polling results to date indicate the Oscar nominated movies “The Bourne Ultimatum”, “American Gangster”, “Beaufort”, “In the Valley of Elah”, and “Surf’s up” have the highest score for entertainment value in measured ads.

MIMIEO will also be conducting research on the commercials televised during the broadcast of the Academy Awards. With spending at an estimated $1.6 million for each 30-seconds of commercial time, the cost nearly rivals the February 3rd Super Bowl ads. Companies including General Motors, Unilever, Procter & Gamble, J.C. Penny, Coca-Cola, and MasterCard are each expected to participate. To gauge advertising effectiveness, MIMIEO will collect polling results on Oscar night, as well as the throughout the following week.

The MIMIEO system was previously used to measure advertising effectiveness during the Super Bowl XLII commercials broadcast February 3rd on FOX. Key findings showed some advertisers, such as Paramount Pictures and Marvel Entertainment with the ‘Iron Man’ trailer, ranked highest in entertainment, but lower in marketing score. Alternatively, advertisers such as Universal Pictures with the ‘Wanted’ trailer, ranked higher in marketing score, but lower in entertainment score. The study revealed more viewers found the ‘Iron Man’ trailer to be entertaining, but when it came down to the ads ability to influence preference for which movie to see, the ‘Wanted’ movie had the higher score.

The survey methodology was created in collaboration with MIMIEO, graduate students, and faculty from Northwestern University.

Additional details can be found by visiting www.mimieo.com.

February 18th, 2008 Press Release - 2008 OSCARS

EVANSTON, IL. --(Business Wire)-- As Celebrities Prepare for OSCARS, Fans Flock to MIMIEO to Vote on Movie Trailers

Using MIMIEO, thousands of movie fans are watching and voting on movie trailers for Oscar nominated films using the iPhone, Facebook, and the website www.VoteOscarsAds.com.

The technology offers viewers a convenient method for getting current on Oscar nominated films, and preparing for the February 24th broadcast of the Academy Awards on ABC. Following each movie clip, participants will be asked whether they thought the trailer was entertaining, and whether the ad made them more or less likely to go see the film. Polling responses will then be used to create real-time movie rankings on the www.VoteOscarsAds.com website.

The research is unique since polling data is collected from mobile devices and the web simultaneously, and it offers insight into measurement of both the entertainment and marketing value of ads.

Votes continue to be collected, but responses to date indicate the movies “There Will Be Blood”, “Into the Wild”, “American Gangster”, “Gone Baby Gone”, and “Charlie Wilson’s War” have scored highest in entertainment and marketing value for measured ads.

MIMIEO will also be conducting research on the commercials televised during the broadcast of the Academy Awards. With spending at an estimated $1.6 million for each 30-seconds of commercial time, the cost nearly rivals the February 3rd Super Bowl ads. Companies including General Motors, Unilever, Procter & Gamble, J.C. Penny, Coca-Cola, and MasterCard are each expected to participate. To gauge advertising effectiveness, MIMIEO will collect polling results on Oscar night, as well as the throughout the following week.

The MIMIEO system was previously used to measure advertising effectiveness during the Super Bowl XLII commercials broadcast February 3rd on FOX. Key findings showed some advertisers, such as Paramount Pictures and Marvel Entertainment with the ‘Iron Man’ trailer, ranked highest in entertainment, but lower in marketing score. Alternatively, advertisers such as Universal Pictures with the ‘Wanted’ trailer, ranked higher in marketing score, but lower in entertainment score. The study revealed more viewers found the ‘Iron Man’ trailer to be entertaining, but when it came down to the ads ability to influence preference for which movie to see, the ‘Wanted’ movie had the higher score.

The survey methodology was created in collaboration with MIMIEO, graduate students, and faculty from Northwestern University.

Additional details can be found at www.mimieo.com.

February 15th, 2008 Press Release - 80th Annual Academy Awards

EVANSTON, IL. --(PR Newswire)-- Students Vote on OSCARS using iPhone and Facebook for 80th Annual Academy Awards

- Real-time polling using Facebook, the iPhone, and the website VoteOscars.com -

Using a technology called MIMIEO, students at Northwestern University are polling thousands of people in the days leading up to and during the February 24th ABC broadcast of the 80th Annual Academy Awards.

Participants will be asked to rate each Oscar nominated movie ad, as well as rate how likely they are to go see the movie. Graduate student Rohit Bhat feels, “The technology will provide insight into measuring both the entertainment value of the ads, and the viewer’s preference for going to see the movie”.

On Oscar night, a panel of graduate students will analyze the data from the polls and publish a report on the findings.

The students previously conducted research during Super Bowl XLII and released a report called the EnMark Survey. The survey evaluated Super Bowl advertisements on two key dimensions: entertainment value and marketing value. The entertainment score reflected the degree to which viewers liked the advertisement. In contrast, the marketing score reflected the extent to which the ad influenced the viewers’ perceptions of the advertised brand.

Key findings from the study revealed some advertisers, such as Pepsi with their Justin Timberlake ad, ranked high in entertainment score, but lower in marketing score. Alternatively, advertisers such as Coca-Cola with their Charlie Brown ad, ranked higher in marketing score, but lower in entertainment score. Graduate student Bryan Tabiadon indicated, “Viewers found the Pepsi ads to be entertaining, but when it came down to the ads ability to influence preference for a brand, more people preferred Coke!”

The survey methodology was created in collaboration with students and faculty from Northwestern University. The students are enrolled in the Master of Science in Information Technology program. Based in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at the McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science, courses are taught by tenured faculty from the McCormick School and the Kellogg School of Management.

Additional details regarding the research can be found on the student website www.mimieo.com.

February 14th, 2008 Press Release - 80th Annual Academy Awards

EVANSTON, IL. --(PR Newswire)-- 2008 OSCARS: Students Poll Thousands during 80th Annual Academy Awards

- Simultaneous voting from Facebook, the iPhone, and the website VoteOscars.com -

Using a technology called MIMIEO, students at Northwestern University will poll thousands of people during the February 24th ABC broadcast of the 80th Annual Academy Awards.

Participants will be asked to rate each Oscar nominated movie ad, as well as rate how likely they are to go see the movie. Graduate student Rohit Bhat feels, “MIMIEO will provide insight into measuring both the entertainment value of the ads, and the viewer’s preference for going to see the movie”.

On Oscar night, a panel of graduate students will analyze the data from the polls and publish a report on the findings.

The students previously conducted research during Super Bowl XLII and released a report called the EnMark Survey. The survey evaluated Super Bowl advertisements on two key dimensions: entertainment value and marketing value. The entertainment score reflected the degree to which viewers liked the advertisement. In contrast, the marketing score reflected the extent to which the ad influenced the viewers’ perceptions of the advertised brand.

Key findings from the study revealed some advertisers, such as Pepsi with their Justin Timberlake ad, ranked high in entertainment score, but lower in marketing score. Alternatively, advertisers such as Coke with their Charlie Brown ad, ranked higher in marketing score, but lower in entertainment score. Graduate student Bryan Tabiadon indicated, “Viewers found the Pepsi ads to be entertaining, but when it came down to the ads ability to influence preference for a brand, more people preferred Coke!”

The survey methodology was created in collaboration with students and faculty from Northwestern University. The students are enrolled in the Master of Science in Information Technology program. Based in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at the McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science, courses are taught by tenured faculty from the McCormick School and the Kellogg School of Management.

Additional details regarding the research can be found on the student website www.mimieo.com.

February 4th, 2008 Press Release - Super Bowl Ad Results

EVANSTON, IL. --(PR Newswire)-- SUPER BOWL AD RANKINGS - Northwestern University Students Rank IRONMAN Movie Best and SalesGenie.com Worst in Super Bowl XLII

-Focus Group of Thousands of Viewers Provide Feedback on Ads-

Graduate students at Northwestern University received over 50,000 website hits from Fox viewers during real-time polling of the 2008 Super Bowl XLII ads. Using a technology called MIMIEO, the students polled viewers from multiple channels simultaneously to include Facebook (PickMe application), mobile devices such as the Apple iPhone (AAPL), and the website www.VoteSuperBowlAds.com.

The students have released the EnMark Survey which evaluates advertisements on two key dimensions: entertainment value and marketing value. The entertainment score reflects the degree to which viewers like the advertisement. In contrast, the marketing score reflects the extent to which the ad influences viewers’ perceptions of the advertised brand.

The survey also reports the vanity score of each ad, which is the difference between the entertainment and marketing scores. The vanity score reflects an excessive emphasis on creativity at the expense of building a preference for the advertised brand. An ad with a high vanity score is ranked as very entertaining while doing little to strengthen (and sometimes even hurting) the advertised brand. In contrast, a low vanity score indicates that the commercial is likely to strengthen viewers’ preferences for the advertised brand even though the commercial itself is not perceived to be very entertaining.

Entertainment Score Rankings
Ads ranked based on their ability to entertain viewers. The top entertaining ads starting with best were: IRONMAN, Pepsi (Bob’s House), Pepsi (Justin Timberlake), Bud Light (Wine and Cheese), Diet Pepsi Max, Budweiser (Team), Bud Light (Breathe Fire), Victoria’s Secret, Audi (Godfather), and Doritos (Mouse Trap). The worst entertaining ads starting were: Sales Genie (Panda), Sales Genie (Plane), Careerbuilder.com (Firefly), and GMC (Yukon).

Marketing Score Rankings
Ads ranked based on their ability to influence viewers’ perceptions of the advertised brand. The top marketing ads starting with best were: Coke (Charlie Brown), ETRADE (Banking Baby), Hyundai (Compared to Mercedes), Doritos (Mouse Trap), Bud Light (Language of Love, X-Ray Vision, Wine & Cheese), Victoria’s Secret, Semi-Pro, and Life Water. The worst marketing ads were: Garmin (Napoleon), Sales Genie (Plane), Careerbuilder.com (Firefly), and Sales Genie (Panda).

Vanity Score Rankings
Ads based on their ability to balance entertainment and influence on brand perceptions. The ads which most effectively balanced entertainment and marketing starting with best were: IRONMAN, Audi (Godfather), Diet Pepsi Max, Pepsi (Bob’s House), Bud Light (Breathe Fire), Pepsi (Justin Timberlake), Budwesier (Team), ETRADE (Banking Baby), and Bridgestone (Firestone). The least effective ads in terms of balancing entertainment and marketing were: GMC Yukon, SalesGenie (Plane), Cars.com (Witch Doctor), and Life Water.

The survey methodology was created in collaboration with students and faculty from Northwestern University of Evanston, Illinois.

January 30th, 2008 Press Release - Super Bowl Ad Polling


EVANSTON, IL. --(Business Wire)-- 2008 Super Bowl Ads. Northwestern Students use iPhone to Uncover Surprising New Results.

Using a new social networking platform called MIMIEO, graduate students at Northwestern University will poll thousands of fans on the 2008 Super Bowl ads. During each quarter of the game broadcast on Fox on February 3rd, the student’s website will gather feedback from fans on how much they liked the ads, and whether the commercials will influence future purchasing decisions.

The new technology will allow users to submit feedback from multiple sources simultaneously to include: Facebook (using the PickMe application), the Apple iPhone, Internet enabled mobile devices, as well as the website www.votesuperbowlads.com.

Facebook users will connect to the polling service using the PickMe application launched earlier in 2008. All other users will submit feedback using the video enabled website www.votesuperbowlads.com.

Participants will be asked to rate how well they liked each ad (from happy to upset), as well as how likely they are to purchase the advertisers products or services in the future.

Following the game, a panel of Northwestern University graduate students will analyze the results, as well as publish a detailed report on the winners and losers of the game