Super Bowl Sunday not just for Football

          
            The 42^nd annual Super Bowl kicks off this Sunday night; and while most of the focus will be on the game between the Baltimore Ravens and the San Francisco 49ers, many marketers and advertisers will be watching which brands make the biggest impact with their game day commercials. With big named brands such as Blackberry, Doritos, Toyota, Go Daddy and Sony shelling out major dollars, upward to $4 million for just a 30 second spot, you can bet those companies want to get the most out of their money and be the highlight of the night.

Few things are must-see-TV anymore, and that’s why advertisers are so geared towards advertising during the Super Bowl. All you have to do is look at the statistics to see why; T.V audiences last year reached a record 111 million people. This is mass marketing at its best - being able to reach as many consumers as possible with just one consumer touch point, doesn’t come around too often. Companies are starting early and releasing their commercials prior to game day in an effort to create buzz around their brand. Last year companies had around 300 million views per commercial on YouTube. Then YouTube did some research into the early release of Super Bowl commercials and found that companies with earlier release dates had on average 9.1 million more views.  Super Bowl ads are arguably the best part of Sunday’s championship day; it is the part of the event that will make us laugh, cry and love, regardless of the love of football. Social media will be abuzz on Monday, with everyone’s thoughts and reactions to the outcome of the game, where all will be judged and scrutinized.

            This trend suggests that the price for Super Bowl commercials isn’t going to dip anytime soon, and with an 84% increase for a 30 second TV spot from just 10 years ago, you can almost guarantee it. As an advertiser it would almost be cheaper to ink yourself on one of the heavily tattooed players on one of the two teams for the four hour show.

 

Super Bowl Sunday!

We are only four days away from the most publicized and media covered day of the entire year. That’s right, you guessed it... its almost Super Bowl Sunday! On February 5^th the New England Patriots will be facing the New York Giants in front of nearly 70,000 screaming fans, not to forget the estimated 110 million fans that will be watching from the comforts of their living room. Many individuals may view the Super Bowl as time to create their esteemed 5-layer nacho dip; however as aspiring marketers there is a great opportunity to observe and monitor both the creativity of advertisements and the share of communication from Social Media.

Before I delve into the staggering statistics of the Super Bowl, I would like to take a second and introduce myself. I am currently a fourth semester Business Marketing student at the North Humber College campus. I have been given the opportunity to work on the social media elements for the Marketing program as part of my Internet Marketing course.

The main focus of this blog is to connect with prospective students, current students and alumni in order to offer a helpful hand while also sharing relevant program and course information. On Facebook and Twitter we will be sharing marketing news stories and updates from around the world as well as highlight job postings and industry events. Share your thoughts and opinions - after all Marketing is a conversation, so let’s start one!

Okay, now lets get back to the Super Bowl. Although hot wings are very tasty, they can be extremely messy as you try to Tweet out to all of your followers during the big game. Rather than eating our way into a food coma, lets take a look at some impressive statistics from the US:

• The average cost of a 30- second TV advertisement in the US for Super Bowl 46 is roughly $3.5 Million.  
• All 70- 30-second commercial spots were sold out nearly three months in advance.
• Over $245,000,000 will be spent in advertising for only three hours.

The numbers are simply amazing. My only question relates to the effectiveness of an individual commercial. One of the biggest challenges for a marketer is fighting the sheer amount of advertising clutter. The average individual will be exposed to over 100 different brands throughout the course of the game. Each brand will be fighting to create a lasting impression while gaining the media spot light.

So the question remains: Is the $3.5 Million price tag worthy of the airtime? Yes, in fact statistics show that nearly 50% of viewers tune in almost solely for the commercials. In addition, the level of media coverage extends for weeks preceding the game. With people heading online to watch their favorite ads and to catch the ads that they missed it seems as if commercials and the Super Bowl has truly become a pop culture phenomenon.

In order to set your mood in the right direction and to create excitement, I would like to share a video from CBS which highlights the best and the worst US Super Bowl commercials from 2011.

Best (and Worst) Superbowl Commercials 2011

-Tim