The Super bowl is coming up and will air on NBC on Feb 5th , and its not so much that I care about the game, or the teams involved, but more so that I am more so drawn to the commercials. Like a lot of people if I do watch the superbowl, the commercials are the only thing I’m interested in seeing. IN fact approximately 15.7% or around 16 million people who watch do so for the commercials alone.
This year a 30 second spot cost $3.5-4 million ( up from $ 3 million in 2010 ) depending on when during the superbowl they are aired. All of the Superbowl spots have been sold out for months with only a few pre- game show spots left.
For the companies that purchase spots its very complicated to determine the return on their investment as larger more well known companies like Pepsi for instance are going to benefit for much longer time span and even more than a smaller lesser known company. But that doesn’t mean it isn’t worth it in the long run. Part of the appeal of a super bowl commercial isn’t just about airing during the superbowl and being seen by 100+ million people.
Another big plus that leads to a big return is that these commercials are also getting attention on the internet and being talked about online for weeks before and after the superbowl. Commercials can go viral online and multiply the already millions that have seen it. In fact buying one 30o second ad in the superbowl is like buying 250 commercials on any other day which can cost about $9 million, so even though 3.5 + million might seen astronomical for 30 seconds its actually quite the bargain. When you look at the reach and the exposure is involved.
