The big game is this weekend! That’s right, Super Bowl LV (held in Tampa Bay, Florida) is in Chacka’s hometown this year. Our very own Tampa Bay Buccaneers are fighting for the trophy. Many of us look forward to not just the game, but the often clever and amusing ads.
We’re all excited about the Super Bowl, but this year will be very different. Instead of the usual media circus in the week before the Super Bowl, teams are staying isolated with the Chiefs not even traveling until the day before the game. Also, there will only be approximately 25,000 fans in the stadium instead of a packed house. Needless to say, it is not business as usual. But will that impact Super Bowl ads?
Cost Breakdown
In 2020, 99.9 million viewers tuned-in to watch Super Bowl LIV. Nielson reported that it was up 1.5% from the 2019 game. Given that most people that watch the game are not fans of either team, the ads themselves become must-watch TV. What people may not realize is just how much of an investment it is for 30-seconds of this precious real-estate. This year, the cost estimate for a 30-second spot on CBS during the big game will run companies from $5.5 million to $5.6 million, which was the same as last year.
Are super bowl ads a good investment this year?
Super Bowl parties are wildly popular during a non-pandemic year but now, we are starving for a collective experience. We are all watching an event happening at the same time and it draws us together. It may pull people in to watch who normally do not care about football to watch ofjust to be part of that experience. And, if the price of advertising has not gone up, but viewership increases – your business is certainly getting more bang for its buck!
While corporate America has been getting their money’s worth from Super Bowl advertising for decades, this year, the viewers may be getting even more. There is no doubt that we are coming off one of the most toxic post-election periods in U.S. history in addition to eleven months of a pandemic. More than any other Super Bowl, this year people need something to smile about. The ads themselves can be a common interest for a divided nation to gravitate towards. As silly as it sounds, the discussion around these ads gives us a small respite from our political rancor and allow us to laugh together again.
If you are unconvinced of the staying power of these advertisements, consider that there are people that can tell you their favorite Super Bowl commercials but have no idea who won the game. When we talk about Super Bowls over the last ten years, people will remember the Volkswagen Star Wars commercial as much as the New England Patriots comeback over the Atlanta Falcons. While the Patriots win will infuriate some, we all found joy in watching that kid try to start his Dad’s car with the force. If ever there was a time when the nation needed another Star Wars kid, it is now.
So, to answer the question: are Super Bowl ads worth the investment? Yes, absolutely.
