Super Bowl 50 wasn’t just the largest TV viewing event of the year, it was also the most interactive. A new 360 Series report from Market Track, the leading provider of advertising, brand protection and pricing intelligence solutions, found that this year, in particular, marked one of the advertising industry's most interactive Super Bowl games to date. 

In a review of the advertising, pricing and promotional activity prior to, during and after the game, Market Track found that 72% of the Super Bowl commercials this year linked directly to digital media, either through a hashtag, a URL or another call to action- a successful tactic, given that 46% of consumers report using smartphones and 30% report using tablets while watching television. Market Track's research also reveals that within the last 12 months, 65% of consumers have looked up additional information about something they saw in a TV commercial on their smartphone, tablet or laptop.

Millennials and Gen Y lead in terms of doing additional research: 78% of viewers ages 30-39 go online to look for more information after seeing commercials, followed by 73% of those ages 20-29; the 60 and over age group was under 50%. 

“As consumers are becoming more engaged with media, opportunities to tie advertising, promotion and social media messages together will be critical to brands’ success in breaking through the noise," said Traci Gregorski, senior vice president of marketing at Market Track. 

Other advertisers chose to build awareness around their campaign by releasing teasers in advance of Super Bowl Sunday. Bud Light aired clips of "The Bud Light Party" through multiple social media outlets in the two weeks leading up to the Big Game. In comparison, Hyundai's "Ryanville" campaign started teasing out on January 26 on Twitter, followed by an early online release on February 1. 

A total of 69 unique television commercials aired nationally during the game's broadcast representing 57 different brands across 35 different categories.