ATLANTA: US automakers Ford and Chevrolet made the most memorable Super Bowl ads in 2014, but light-hearted rival spots from Toyota and Audi were more likely to influence buying behaviour, a new survey has suggested.

According to a poll of 1,000 consumers by AutoTrader.com, the online automotive marketplace, which covered automotive companies' Super Bowl ads, close to half (44%) of respondents were "much more" or "somewhat more" likely to consider buying a Toyota vehicle after recalling its ad.

The humourous Toyota spot featured Kermit the Frog and other characters from the Muppets.

Meanwhile, the "Doberhuahua" ad from Audi, which featured a strange crossbred dog to underline the message that people should never compromise, also boosted purchase consideration for its vehicles to 39%.

By this measure, Jeep was ranked third, at 38%, followed by Honda, at 37%, and then Ford and Kia, at 35% each.

Furthermore, recall for the "Doberhuahua" ad from Audi was 45% higher among millennials aged 18 to 34, who also responded well to Honda's "Hugfest" ad, which achieved a recall rate 50% higher than among older generations.

"Results from this new survey further demonstrates how effectively Audi and Honda's big game advertising resonated with this generation and keeps their brands top of mind," observed Isabelle Helms, vice president of research and market intelligence at AutoTrader Group.

However, Ford and Chevrolet topped overall ad recollection rates, scoring 29% and 26% respectively, with Maserati, the upmarket Italian manufacturer, coming in a close third at 21% followed by Jaguar, the luxury British marque, with 16%.

Rick Wainschel, vice president of Automotive Insights at AutoTrader.com, said automakers had succeeded in creating memorable Super Bowl ads this year. "It will be interesting to see how these consideration lifts impact sales results in the months ahead," he added.

Data sourced from AutoTrader.com; additional content by Warc staff