Super Bowl Commercials. Are they worth it?

Many of us in the U.S. and around the world look forward to that Sunday in Feb. Super Bowl Sunday. Whether your team is playing or not, Super Bowl Sunday is more than just a football game.

So what are you looking forward to from Super Bowl 51? Tom Brady’s potential 5th Super Bowl win? Lady Gaga’s halftime show? Or are you just showing up for the commercials?

The going rate for 30 seconds of air time in Super Bowl 51 was a reported $5 million dollars. But the cost doesn’t end there, an added 25% to 50% of the cost of a Super Bowl ad goes to marketing the ad itself. In total, a record $385 million will be spent on advertising. Regardless of the outcome, the Super Bowl remains the premier broadcast event for commercials. That’s why the biggest brand names in America never fail to go all out for the Super Bowl.

So why are companies willing to spend that kind of money? According to Forbes the single biggest reason why brands pay a premium for a Super Bowl spot is the broad reach. In a single moment, a brand can reach more than 100 million people in the United States. This is about one-third of the U.S. population. No other show in America gets to even half of that. Super Bowl ads are different; people are excited to watch them and they pay attention. It’s not uncommon to find Super Bowl party attendees more attentive during the commercials than during the game itself.

People watch Super Bowl ads before and after the game, vote in various polls, and share impressions. People viewed VW’s famous “Darth Vader” spot on YouTube more than 63 million times. Budweiser’s 2015 Clydesdale ad got viewed more than 30 million times. Clash of Clans 2015 spot received more than 96 million views.

In summary, do we think Super Bowl commercials are worth the money? Yes, probably. If done right they can be a game changer and remembered for a very long time. This commercial from last year still makes me laugh today:

Featured image photo – rollingstone.com