The SuperBowl draws millions of viewers from around the world. Many of them don’t tune in to watch the game. They watch the SuperBowl for the commercials. Producing an ad for Game Day is a strategic marketing endeavor for the big companies that can afford the price tag.
History of SuperBowl Advertising
SuperBowl commercials in 1969 focused on Schlitz Malt Liquor, various brands of cigarettes, and RCA color technology. Today, the advertisers have become far more sophisticated and humorous, with Anheuser Busch, Coca-Cola, and PepsiCo continuing to be major players, and many Internet companies buying 30 second spots.
Along with the sophistication and humor of the ads, the price of an advertising spot has skyrocketed. In 1967, 30 seconds sold for $40,000, which adjusts for inflation to $265,806 in 2009 dollars. In 2009, a 30 second spot sold for $3 million, according to Advertising Age. Sixty-seven spots were sold for the 2009 SuperBowl at a grand total of $206.5 million.
Is a $3 Million SuperBowl Ad Worth It?
According to Adage.com the price of advertising in the SuperBowl is well worth it. The audience is in the millions, making the CPM, or cost per million viewers, a valuable investment. Yet it doesn’t end there. The media publicity, coverage in magazines and newspapers, and word of mouth drive consumers to the products, services, and websites of the advertisers.
Huge increases in online traffic and sales make SuperBowl advertising a smart strategic marketing decision. According to Adage.com, E-Trade reported a 32% increase in sales and funded accounts after their SuperBowl commercials, and CareerBuilder.com saw a 68% increase in job applications at their site. Anheuser Busch reported 21 million online views of their website the week after the game.
SuperBowl Sunday is the biggest selling day for pizza delivery franchises such as Pizza Hut, Dominos, and Round Table. In addition, beer sales are at their highest during SuperBowl week. For marketing, SuperBowl is almost as profitable as the Christmas holiday season.
DreamWorks and PepsiCo Join in 3D Advertising
Prior to 2009, SuperBowl advertisers ran solo ads, focusing on their one highlighted product or service. In 2009, DreamWorks Animation, Intel, and PepsiCo joined together to try a new advertising experiment. Instead of advertising alone, PepsiCo and DreamWorks teamed up to advertise more than one product in 2.5 minutes of 3D commercials. The commercials plug the DreamWorks movie, Monsters vs. Aliens, and PepsiCo’s SoBe Lifewater.
3D Technology Advances in Advertising
This SuperBowl 3D advertising was produced using a method different from the technology used to produce 3D movies for theaters. As the technology progresses, more and more movies are being released in 3D, with 14 releases expected in 2009. This is a live test of the efficacy of the technology, to see if it will be a viable alternative for future 3D advertising.
Watch SuperBowl Commercials Online
Many of the commercials for the years since 1969 are archived online and can be viewed at the Commercial Archive. From the Talking Baby of E-Trade, to the Cat Herders of EDS, to Mean Joe Green for Coca-Cola, the commercials are original and memorable. Pull up a chair, get a bowl of nachos, and enjoy the funny, wacky, and eminently entertaining SuperBowl commercials.
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