Super Bowl Advertising
Many of you out there may of asked - what’s so big about Super Bowl and why are the ads such a big deal. Well below I am providing you with some useful reading:
Q. What kind of increase in business, hits or visitor count did the companies adverting at the Super Bowl get?
The cost of advertising during the game has increased to whopping prices: “The cost of a 30-second spot for Super Bowl I in 1967 was $42,500 on CBS and $37,500 on NBC. (That’s right, it was the only time the game was broadcast on two networks). Twenty years and 20 games later, the cost had spiraled to $600,000. For this year’s game, CBS is asking $2.6 million.” MSNBC Website
“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.” Suite101.com
In looking at the cost of advertising at Super Bowl, also consider the cost of the production of the ads themself. As an example, Budweiser had 4 spots throughout the game which could of cost then upwards of $10,000,000 not including the ad product costs. BUT, why? It was reported that the Superbowl was viewed by over 41% of all Americans during the 2006 Superbowl on CBS. Thats a staggering 123,000,000 people within the US not including the rest of the world. Now that is starting to say something.
Q. What are the benefits?
I couldn’t say the following any better:
“Every sponsor will have to answer that question for themselves. To answer the question, I think it’s important to visualize how that great commercial actually works in a media buy. First, the program generates a measured audience of households tuned at the average time. Depending on how much attention they are paying (or out of the room) and how involved they are in the program, will determine what percentage of the tuned audience will even be exposed to the commercial. In terms of attention levels (used as an indicator of the probablility that the commercial will be seen), it is unlikely that the Super Bowl will have higher attention levels than certain prime time shows which are in the 70-80% full attention range. Next, since program involvement is related to commercial recall, the Super Bowl would likely have an advantage over most alternative programming, but not all, especially good dramas. Finally, once the commercial is exposed to viewers who are watching with some degree of attention and involvement, the commercial breaks through and engages the audience in varying degrees. Recall tests have found above average scores in the Super Bowl for some brands and commercials, but not universally.” Article in Prleap.com, by Ron Geskey
In the end it comes down to MONEY, if they have it and can afford to spend it then it seems they will do it – only the companies will know if it was worth it. For what it’s worth, the ads have become a highlight in themselves and many people look simply to be entertained with no real want to actually go out and buy the products. For me some were cool but for the most part nothing really wowed me.. Will I run out and buy something? probably not… but you never know!
From a website standpoint, through articles I have read, it seems that getting such a large audience will in no doubt increase your visits and hit count. It is then up to you to ensure that your site can capture and keep some of those visitor for your own advantage.