SAN DIEGO — Football fans are not only excited for the Super Bowl game, they also expect to be entertained by Super Bowl commercials. Advertisers are well aware of the massive viewership the event attracts, and they are willing to pay top dollar for a chance to grab viewers' attention during the highly anticipated commercial breaks.
Advertisers are paying a staggering $7 million for just 30 seconds of airtime during the Super Bowl. With more than 110 million viewers expected to watch the game this year, it's no surprise that companies are willing to invest such a significant amount of money.
"The Super Bowl is the Academy Awards of advertising," said San Diego State University Marketing Professor Miro Copic, who explained "every consumer segment that's sizable-- lower middle income, middle income, upper middle income, well to do -- are all watching the Super Bowl." He said it's a prime opportunity for brands to reach a vast and diverse audience, hoping to make a lasting impression on consumers.
At SDSU's Fowler School of Business, Copic teaches an MBA course called "Strategic Branding," which focuses on developing world class brands, regardless of the size of the company.
On the day we visited his class, he and his students discussed the world of Super Bowl commercials. "It's the perfect topic," he said, "It's how do brands live, how do they evolve? How do they target not only their core target, but really bring in a lot of other folks. And that's where the Super Bowl is so amazing in that regard, because it's going to introduce a lot of younger viewers to brands that they maybe have not thought about that much."
Professor Copic, who is also the founder of Bottomline Marketing, a brand and marketing agency, led his class in a discussion surrounding celebrity endorsements in advertisements. The students believe that celebrities can add value to an ad by driving attention and creating a humorous or emotional connection. One student remarked, “As a sports fan my entire life, anytime I see an ad with any type of celebrity that's a sports person, I definitely am attracted to it, no matter what the product is.”
In class, they highlighted a few of the Super Bowl ads that will be shown during the big game, including the Pringles commercial featuring Chris Pratt, where the actor's mustache and resemblance to the Pringles mascot evoked laughs and caught students' attention. They also enjoyed the Michelob Ultra ad with soccer star Lionel Messi, showcasing the power of celebrity endorsements in attracting viewers.
Even though the cost of advertising during the Super Bowl is exorbitant, smaller brands like Starry, a new soda company, can use it as an opportunity to gain exposure. However, one student questioned whether it is worth the investment for well-established brands like Budweiser, given their already widespread recognition. Nevertheless, the Clydesdales, a long-standing symbol of Budweiser, are making a comeback this year, as viewers have come to expect their presence during the Super Bowl.
Copic's MBA students agreed the emotional connection that advertisements create is key in leaving a lasting impression on viewers. They stressed, however, that it's important for brands to ensure that viewers also remember their product or brand, rather than just the emotions elicited by the cute animals or funny themes in their ads.
There's an added marketing component this year that will likely draw in additional viewers and a younger female audience. There's speculation that pop star Taylor Swift, who has a concert on Saturday in Japan, will fly back to the United States to attend the game and cheer on her boyfriend, Kansas Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce. “It's great for CBS because it's going to drive eyeballs,” Copic said, adding, “I bet it's going to push that viewership to north of 115 million, which we were at last year, because you're going to bring in a lot of new fans that ordinarily wouldn't watch the Super Bowl, younger girls." He said the "Swiftie effect" is also helping the NFL brand, making the game appealing and accessible to more fans. As a result, Super Bowl advertisers will also have more eyeballs to watch their commercials.