Five Reasons Super Bowl Ads Might Be Worth $100,000 Per Second

With 30-second Super Bowl television commercials now priced at $3,000,000 per spot, a lot of people have good reason to ask if buying ads in the big game are worth it or not. According to this story in Advertising Age, $3,000,000 is a bargain. It would be difficult to argue that the ad industry’s biggest trade publication is unbiased in its opinion, but they just might have a point – at least for certain advertisers.

There are five reasons buying Super Bowl ads in a stressed economy might still be a prudent investment:

1) This is as close as you get to the old days of mass media. With about 50 percent of the viewing public watching the game, this is an excellent way to get to a huge chunk of American consumers all at one time. In addition, because so many of those consumers are watching the game with their friends, there is a potential instant buzz factor involving the advertising.
2) A spot in the Super Bowl is as much about PR as it is advertising. Past research has shown that many people watch the game as much for the commercials as to see who is the new Super Bowl champ. There is chatter about the advertising weeks before the game, during the game, and after the game. A 30-second time slot in the game can literally mean huge additional exposure in other media: TV shows, radio programs, talk shows, magazine, newspapers, the Internet, Twitter, blogs and other social media. There is a multiplier effect with Super Bowl advertising that is profoundly powerful and unique.
3) It works. As the Advertising Age article points out, Budweiser can get to 46 percent of all beer drinkers. GoDaddy Super Bowl ads (or getting its Super Bowl ads banned) played a huge part in going from a 16 percent share before its first Super Bowl ads to a 25 percent share a week later. That’s ROI. Their Super Bowl marketing strategy now has them up to a 46 percent share. The Mac just turned 25, and the famous Super Bowl ad that launched it (see post below) has now been played so many times it could be considered the biggest bargain in advertising.
4) A Super Bowl spot is not just TV advertising; it is a huge marketing integration strategy. Astute advertisers use their Super Bowl ads as a focal point for a wide array of other marketing methods and tactics. These include direct mail, email campaigns, promotions, on-premise displays, social media, website visits, online advertising, search marketing, other traditional media and much more. Instead of the Super Bowl ad becoming a means to an end, it really now serves as a means to a beginning. Examine the depth and breadth of marketing efforts surrounding the Super Bowl TV spot nucleus for many advertisers, and you will see an enormous communications footprint that becomes a powerful juggernaut to reach aggressive objectives.
5) Even with a troubled economy, the Super Bowl is party time. It is a short window to forget pressing doubts and uncertainty, and for friends to get together for camaraderie, cheer and laughter. That is a good environment for advertising messages to appear.

The Super Bowl isn’t for every advertiser, but for some who work it for every angle its worth, it can be part of a wide-ranging marketing effort that promises big returns – even at a cost of $100,000/second.