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Unlike the exciting cliff hanger football game that is a Mecca for mass-marketers,franchised businesses again dominated in advertising buys in 2009.  DuringSuper Bowl XLIII, companies engaged in franchising outspent all othercombined enterprises by an estimated $14 million dollars.  These numbers are even more dramatic when 23 NBC network promotional spotsand 7.5 NFL spots are added to the mix.  Both NBC and the NFL havefranchised affiliates, and if the value of these 30+ ads are factored in theamount balloons to more than $100 million.  In all, 64% (81.5 ads) of some128 ads that aired during the 4 hour game broadcast came from businessesengaged in franchising.According to American Association of Franchisees and Dealers (AAFD) ChairmanRobert Purvin, who launched the organization?s Advertising Super Bowl survey22 years ago, ?Super Bowl advertising continues to demonstrate the power offranchising. How else can small business owners afford to share theirmessages with almost 100 million households at one time??Financial markets have been paying close attention to the willingness ofadvertisers to embrace the high ticket cost of advertising on networktelevision?s grandest stage, with many concerned the Super Bowl advertisingwould be yet one more victim of an economic meltdown.  If anything,franchisors have seemed to ratchet up marketing efforts to fight backagainst slowing sales. NBC reportedly charged a record average price of almost $3 million per30-second spot ($100,000 per second).  The higher cost didn't seem to impactadvertiser demand as NBC reported it sold out the available 69 nationalnetwork spots.  (Each local network affiliate franchise sold about 30 localspots).  The total number of spots played during the game earned NBC anestimated $270 million dollars.  Yet for a single 30 second spot of $1.5 million, the advertising cost for aubiquitous franchise such as McDonald's (who aired two ads this year) breaksdown to under $100 per store when divided among the approximate 15,000 USrestaurants in the chain. ?The collective marketing power among franchisedbusinesses is formidable,? adds Purvin. Among companies that market through franchising, those companies thatmanufacture products that are distributed through independent dealernetworks (called ?product franchisors? in the trade) easily dominated the adbuys.  A robust 37 ads were placed by companies who sell cars, beverages,cosmetics and insurance through independent networks.Business format franchisors -- those businesses that consumers traditionallyassociate with franchising ? accounted for 21 commercials (double the numberfrom 2008), including spots from McDonald's, Taco Bell, Cars.com, andregional entries (on the West Coast where the survey was conducted) fromJack-in-the Box.  The business format segment was even more active in thepre and post-game markets.    Budweiser again led all advertisers with 4 minutes of air time (about 8spots), earning it exclusive rights to broadcast during the game andshutting out competitors Miller Brewing and Coors (both of which advertisedin the pre-game). After Anheuser-Busch, only six advertisers ran more than one or twocommercial spots. Pepsi was second to Budweiser, buying several minutes ofad time among its franchised soft drink brands and its non-franchisedFrito-Lay brands (primarily Doritos).  Hyundai ran several spots during thegame as well during the Pre-game show.  Honda and Toyota each ran multiplespots for various brands.  American car manufacturers were missing from the prime time telecast.  Forthe first time in years, cooperative networks such as the California CheeseAssociation, Ace Hardware and the Almond Growers Association all stayedaway.Between 2:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m. Eastern time, consumers were ?treated? toalmost 2 hours and fifteen minutes of thirty-second ads (approximately 270),64% of which were placed by companies engaged in franchising.  This wasabout the same ratio as 2007 and 2008.Entertainment related ads, primarily motion picture promos, led thenon-franchised segment with 16 spots.  Manufacturers slid to second placewith 13 ads, including electronics, food producers and pharmaceuticals. Retailers fell off dramatically, with one ad each from Best Buy and KayJewelers, as compared to 9 spots placed in 2008.  On the flip side, on-lineretailers showed a dramatic increase, with multiple spots run byMonster.com, GoDaddy.com and E-Trade, among several others.During the game approximately 67 different companies advertised.  Inaddition there were two public service announcements. This year?s crop of ads were less striking than past years, with nocandidate seemingly destined for the Super Bowl Ad Hall of Fame, althoughE-Trade?s infant stock trader was quite clever.  Three other memorable adswere delivered by Budweiser (with a Clydesdale pursuing love and theAmerican Dream) and an office mate being thrown out of a third storybuilding for suggesting that his company save money by no longer providingfree Bud Light.  Coca-Cola offered a clever ?reincarnation? of the famousMean Joe Green encounter with a young fan, with All Pro defensive back, TroyPolamalu, tackling a Coca-Cola executive to avenge his young fan.    About the AAFD The American Association of Franchisees and Dealers is the oldest andlargest direct member non-profit trade association representing theinterests of franchisees and independent dealer networks throughout theUnited States.  The AAFD was formed in 1992 with a mission to define andpromote collaborative franchise cultures that the AAFD describes as TotalQuality Franchising.  Stressing market solutions and franchisee empowermentthrough independent franchisee associations, the AAFD has grown to representmore than 50,000 franchised businesses nationwide, with members in all 50states.The AAFD's Fair Franchising Standards, Fair Franchising Seal, TrademarkChapters, and emphasis on marketplace solutions led to the Association'srecognition as a growing force in franchising. The AAFD?s Branded Partnerprograms add a new dimension to the value of AAFD membership. The AAFDprovides a broad range of member services designed to help franchisees buildmarket power, create legislative support of interest to franchisees, providelegal and financial support, and provide a wide range of general memberbenefits. For more information about the conference or the AAFD, please call toll free? 610-209-3775 or visit www.AAFD.org.