Last year, more than 111 million TV viewers watched the Super Bowl, making it the third most popular show in TV history. This year’s Super Bowl is expected to have even more viewers, prompting Fox Sports to seek more than $5 million for a 30-second commercial. The cost includes ads that appear on the TV coverage of the game as well as the live streams. The network is also reported to be trying to convince clients to spend similar amounts on running their ads across the company’s complete media portfolio. If Fox succeeds, companies will have to shell out more than $10 million to advertise this year.
(Pixabay / filterssofly)
Super Bowl ads are theoretically open to everybody. Any business can buy a 30-second time slot, provided that they can afford it. In the real world, though, very few companies can shoulder the heavy price of Super Bowl advertising. Major corporations such as Anheuser- Busch, FCA Group, and PepsiCo can easily incorporate Super Bowl ads into their marketing budget. Most mid-size and small companies, though, can only dream of seeing their ads on game day.
Other Super Bowl Advertising Venues
Television does not have a monopoly on Super Bowl advertising. During last year’s Super Bowl, more than 60 million people talked about the Super Bowl on Facebook, adding up to more than 200 million posts. On Twitter, Super Bowl-themed tweets were viewed 4.3 billion times worldwide.
Smaller companies capitalized on social media for their own Super Bowl advertising. Companies formed social media teams that disseminated information on Facebook and Twitter. Their efforts kept people informed about the game and bolstered their brand at the same time.
Businesses can advertise on their own websites while riding on the coattails of the Super Bowl. Any company can launch a “Big Game promotion” on their site by giving discounts on their products in conjunction with the game. The trick is to find something on the website that will tie into the Super Bowl so the connection doesn’t seem forced.