Feedback

[ ARTICLE ]Paper submitted to:Feedback – BroadcastEducation AssociationNovember, 2008Stuart L. Esrock,Ph.D.Associate ProfessorUniversity of Louisvillestuart.esrock@louisville.edu(502) 852-8161FAX (502) 852-8166Max Utsler, Ph.D.Associate ProfessorUniversity of Kansasutsler@ku.edu(785) 864-0608This paper wasoriginally presentedat the first Ad BowlSymposium, TheUniversity of SouthCarolina, Columbia,SC on January 26,2007The $2.5 Million Bargain:Super Bowl Ads and AddedValueThe $2.5 million price tag for a 30 second Super Bowl TVad may sound outrageous. But it may be the best advertisingbargain in this message-saturated world.With a 30 second Super Bowl spot, advertisers potentially getan array of added exposure that magnifies the impact of theirmessage. In this day of rising media costs, fragmenting audiences,media proliferation, and commercial avoidance behaviors,marketing managers are especially conscious of return onadvertising investment. Super Bowl advertisers have become animportant example of maximizing exposure beyond the mere 30seconds of airtime.For example, in 2006 MasterCard promoted its planned SuperBowl advertising to the national media, building awareness wellin advance of the event (Lindeman, 2006). The credit cardconglomerate sent news releases promoting their use of actorRichard Dean Anderson reprising his TV role as “MacGyver”in the company’s newest ad for its award-winning “Priceless”campaign.Beyond hype for the game itself, this type of promotion hasalso helped sustain an unmatched, expectant atmosphere forthe advertising. Super Bowl advertising creates a tremendousamount of hype in the national news media (Lindeman, 2006).News stories before and after the game focus on advertisers andtheir outlandish creative approaches, critiques of advertisingeffectiveness, and tests of memorability and likeability. Some adsare pre-played before the game on news and entertainment showson both cable and network television. Following the game, newsmedia will write about and often replay the best and least likedads for additional exposure.But the added value of Super Bowl advertising is not justaccrued through news stories. In 2006, organizations likeAmerica Online and USA Today asked viewers to vote for theirfavorite Super Bowl ads (Lindeman, 2006). The NationalFootball League made ads available for replay immediately afterthe game on its cable network, Web site, and mobile phones. In2004, CBS-TV aired a special program devoted to Super Bowlads including some judged as the greatest of all-time (http://www.cbs.com /specials/2004_superbowl_commercials/). In 2007, CBSaired “Super Bowl’s Greatest Commercials 2007” two days beforeBEA—Educating tomorrow’s electronic media professionals 27