1. What factors have played the biggest role in changing the dynamics of Super Bowl advertising in recent years?
2. Discuss the concepts of reach, frequency, and impact as they relate to Super Bowl advertising. How does consideration and planning for these concepts differ between the Super Bowl and other television events?
3. When assessing return on investment, what objectives must Super Bowl advertisers consider?
4. Choose a brand that has not recently run a Super Bowl ad. Design an effective campaign with before-, during-, and after-game promotional tactics.
Every year around Super Bowl season, a debate heats up among advertising professionals and media pundits. At the core is the big question: Is Super Bowl Advertising worth the cost? Last year, major advertisers plunked down an average of $3.5 million per 30-second spot-that's $117,000 per second! And that's just for the airtime. Throw in ad production costs-which average $2 to $3 million per showcase commercial-and running even a single Super Bowl ad becomes a super-expensive proposition. Among other points, the naysayers assert that with a cost so high there is no reasonable hope for a return on the advertising investment.
But supporters of Super Bowl advertising have plenty of evidence on their side. For starters, the big game is always the most-watched television event of the year. Last year's Super Bowl drew more than 111.3 million viewers, breaking the previous Super Bowl's record for the most watched program in history. In addition to sheer numbers of viewers, the Super Bowl stands alone as the TV program during which the ads draw as much or more viewership than the program itself. With that consideration, one recent study asserted that for consumer packaged goods firms, the return on investment (ROI) for one Super Bowl ad is equivalent to that of 250 regular TV ads.
Although there's no easy answer to the question of the Super Bowl's value as an advertising venue, the debates of the past miss a key issue that has evolved in the last few years. These days, the Super Bowl is merely a gateway to something much bigger. Before the game begins and long after it's over, ad critics, media pundits, and consumers are previewing and reviewing, speculating, and rating the commercials. With this perspective, no longer do advertisers create an ad that will run for one 30-second time slot. They create a broader campaign that revolves around the Super Bowl ad with strategies that include before-, during-, and after-game tactics.