A Harris Interactive Communications Whitepaper, released in July 2001, compared superstitials with television commercials in their relationship to brand recall, communication and purchase/usage/consideration. 

Although there is a difficulty in making comparisons, Harris partnered with Unicast to compare these two specific media across consistent traditional metrics.

Using methodology that compared the same brand and type of ad in each medium, Harris concludes that, based on these data, Internet advertising in the form of the superstitial ad unit can accomplish many, if not all, that a television commercial can deliver, and at a much better cost per eyeball. 

Superstitial ads are liked equally as well as television spots in two of the three test cases. 

Ad Likeability
 

+-------+---------------+------+
|       | Superstitial  | TV   |
+-------+---------------+------+
|       |               |      |
| Ad A  |      43%      | 32%  |
| Ad B  |      34       | 54   |
| Ad C  |      44       | 36   |
+-------+---------------+------+

The respondents rated these Superstitial ads to be more like television advertising and less like web advertising. 
Superstitial ad was "TV Like" - 66% 
Reminded me of TV ad - 62% 
Looked just like other ads on Web - 27% 

The data demonstrates that it is possible to brand as well on the Internet using a Superstitial ad as it is on television, but television does have a moderate advantage. 

Brand Recall 
 

+----------+---------------+-----+
|          | Superstitial  | TV  |
|          |      Ad       | Ad  |
+----------+---------------+-----+
| Brand A  |      90%      | 90% |
| Brand B  |      77       | 94  |
| Brand C  |      86       | 88  |
+----------+---------------+-----+

For two of the three brands tested, there were virtually no differences on the majority of dimensions, implying that, accounting for copy, the superstitial ads can communicate similarly to a television commercial. The differences in the findings are consistent with known media differences between television and the Internet.

Respondents were asked their level of intent to purchase. Basically, both the superstitial and television ad units generated very comparable levels on each of these measures.

Positive Purchase Intent
 

+----------+--------------+-----+
|          | Superstitial | TV  |
|          | Ad           | Ad  |
+----------+--------------+-----+
| Brand A  | 17%          | 14% |
| Brand B  | 23           | 25  |
| Brand C  | 10           | 15  |
+----------+--------------+-----+

The study concludes that both superstitial and television advertising units accomplish very similar goals when measured comparably using the same metrics.
    
- Superstitial ads are more closely related to television commercials than other Internet advertising 
- Superstitial ad units can be as likeable as television commercials 
- Superstitial units can convey key information about the brand 
- Superstitial units are almost equal to television in communicating the brand name 
- Superstitials can generate similar levels of interest in purchase, usage and consideration as television advertising. 

*Excerpts from 'The Center For Media Research.' MediaPost.com