Aside from the contest on the field when the Denver Broncos and Seattle Seahawks vie to be crowned NFL champion, there will be an off-field battle during Sunday's Super Bowl as advertisers compete to attract the most attention from the 100 million viewers expected to tune into the Fox network for the big game.
Advertisers will need to reach deep into their pockets to land a coveted Super Bowl XLVIII spot as a 30-second commercial will cost an estimated $4 million. That represents an increase of approximately 5 percent from the $3.8 million it cost to run a half-minute ad during last year's Super Bowl.
The Super Bowl is annually one of the most watched television events in the United States, and companies readily shell out millions of dollars for an opportunity to pitch their product or service during the big game. But a recent study conducted by the research firm Communicus raised questions about whether advertisers really get their money's worth when it comes to Super Bowl advertising. The study concluded that Super Bowl commercials rate lower in brand recognition than those shown during other high-profile events, and only one in five commercials shown during the Super Bowl leads to a sale or intent to purchase.
"The advertisers really dial up the entertainment quotient to pop to the top of the USA Today rankings and such," said Communicus CEO Jeri Smith in an interview with Ad Age. "But we find the brand association with Super Bowl commercials is much lower than you'd get with a typical buy just because of the way the creative is structured."
The Communicus report about the value of Super Bowl advertising hasn't hampered sales for this year's event as Fox has sold out of ad time for Sunday's game.
According to Ad Age, the top advertiser for the Super Bowl is Anheuser-Busch, which has purchased four minutes of time for five ads, including one 60-second spot highlighting an interaction between a Clydesale and a puppy as well as another one-minute commercial, "Hero's Welcome," paying tribute to soldiers returning home from Afghanistan.
General Motors is back with two 60-second ads after not advertising during last year's Super Bowl, and Coca-Cola has two one-minute ads. Doritos and GoDaddy each have two half-minute spots, and Hyundai will also have a pair of commercials during the game.
British car manufacturer Jaguar is advertising during the Super Bowl for the first time with a 60-second spot while one of the game's most anticipated ads is from Dannon, which will reunite "Full House" stars John Stamos, Bob Saget and Dave Coulier to pitch Oikos Greek yogurt.
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