Millward Brown's Research Reveals Avatar Is Public's Favorite

To Win Best Picture At The Academy Awards

Innovative research fittingly uses avatars or "virtual hosts" to poll the public

According to a study by Millward Brown, conducted through the innovative use of avatars, or "virtual hosts," Avatar is favored by the public to win the Academy Awards' most coveted honor, Best Picture.

The study also reveals that Invictus produced stand-out choices for Best Actor and Supporting Actor and that Sandra Bullock is favored for Best Actress.

In what looks to be a huge year for the awards, 68 percent of those surveyed were likely1 to watch the Academy Awards on Sunday night.

"With its seamless integration of CGI and 3D, Avatar the movie, set a new standard for the use of technology to heighten the viewing experience. Similarly, Millward Brown stretched the research envelope by exploring the use of avatars to drive higher engagement and richness of response in its survey," said Eileen Campbell, Global CEO at Millward Brown.

"Our choice to conduct this type of research for the Oscars, an advertising event that rivals that of the Super Bowl, is particularly fitting in a year when Avatar broke the movie mold."

The new research approach is part of ongoing efforts to improve respondent engagement. In the study, 9 out of 10 respondents indicated that they enjoyed their avatar-enhanced survey experience.

According to Jake Kolb, Vice President of Innovations at Millward Brown, "Having more engaging dialogues with consumers is fundamental to gaining quality insights, and that principle drives our research innovation."

Avatar, The Blind Side and Up represent the "Best Picture" nominees that the respondents would most like to see win. However, the list changes based on people who actually saw the films (see complete lists below).

"While The Hurt Locker was very well regarded by people who actually saw it, only half of those surveyed had even heard of it according to our research," said Kolb. "This year, the number of films nominated increased from 5 to 10 which was not only well received (with more than half responding that it is good to have more choices), but also good for the exposure of these lesser-known films that would have likely continued in relative anonymity were it not for their nominations."

Best Actors/Actresses
While Invictus was not nominated for Best Picture, its two leading men, Morgan Freeman and Matt Damon ranked as top picks for Best Actor and Supporting Actor, respectively.

Stars of Precious also captured hearts, with Mo'Nique ranked highest for Supporting Actress and Gabourey Sidibe third highest for Best Actress. Meryl Streep follows Sandra Bullock as 'top choice' for Best Actress for her role in Julie and Julia.