• by Karlene Lukovitz  @KLmarketdaily, January 25, 2013

Thirty-nine percent of American adults say that the ads are their favorite part of the Super Bowl, versus 28% who favor the game itself, according to a survey by market research company Lab42.

The online survey was conducted among 500 adults (50/50 male/female split).

The ad preference is more pronounced among women: 44% of women say they prefer ads to any other aspect of the game, while 41% of men prefer the game itself.

In order not to miss ads, 38% of all respondents prefer to take bathroom breaks during the game; 23% prefer to take them during commercials.

There’s been much debate as to whether Super Bowl ads are worth the investment. (The New York Times recently reported that agency executives estimate that advertisers paid an average of $3.7 million to $3.8 million for a 30-second spot this year, up from $3.5 million last year.)

But Lab42 CEO Gauri Sharma argues that, “with 64% of respondents saying that half or more of their Super Bowl conversations the next day are about the commercials, it’s clear that consumers are not only paying attention to the commercials, but they are also engaged in a way that’s nearly impossible to replicate at any other time of the year.”

More than one-third of respondents reported that they’ve shared a Super Bowl commercial via social media, and 69% said that they’ve re-watched a Bowl commercial online.

In addition, 72% of respondents said they think that Super Bowl ads are funnier than standard commercials, 57% consider them more creative, and 21% perceive them as more memorable.

"People Watching TV photo from Shutterstock"