There’s really no point in adding to the commentary about this year’s forgettable Super Bowl ads. Seriously, do you recall what Jason Momoa was hawking? Do you care to know what in the heck is Quibi? Even the much-loved “Smaht Pahk” was no “Whassup”. Good thing the game was memorable. Anyhow, this is where opinion ends and the fun begins …UNLEASH THE AD TRIVIA! We’ll begin with an easy one.
Which brands are the top-five Super Bowl advertisers of all time?
Considering the ad spend for type 2 diabetes drugs these days, four out of five of these brands should be of no surprise. The top advertisers during Super Bowl games in order of prominence are Budweiser, Pepsi, Coca Cola, McDonald’s and Ford. Because, after decades of poor dietary choices, you’re gonna need a heavy-duty American truck to haul your butt to the ER.
Name five brands who advertised during the first Super Bowl?
Put yourself in a 1967 frame of mind. Youth culture is exploding with the release of The Beatle’s Sgt. Pepper’s, protests against the war in Vietnam, and summer-of-love highlights like the Monterey Pop Festival. TV advertising was catching on with more creative and progressive approaches as summarized by Year 1967 in commercials. As far as advertising during the big game is concerned, a lethal mix of tobacco, alcohol and motor vehicles was on tap (pardon the pun) with 102 Draft Beer, Budweiser, Chrysler, Ford, McDonald’s, RJ Reynolds Tobacco, among others.
How much did a 30-second ad spot cost during the first Super Bowl?
One hint at the cost should be the fact that the game did not sell out as predicted by the NFL. According to the LA Times, the broadcast was blacked out within a 75-mile radius of L.A. where viewers were instead treated to Meet the Press or a murder mystery starring Maureen O’Sullivan. It wasn’t even officially called the Super Bowl until the third annual championship game. The cost for a 30-second spot during the 1967 game was just $37,500. Adjusted for inflation to a sum of $287,040, the cost back then pales in comparison to the $5.6 million paid by advertisers in 2020.
Which spot had the largest online presence during Super Bowl LIV?
Super Bowl advertisers count on their gargantuan ad spend to reverberate online and multiply brand recognition. According to Ad Age, the top ad by digital share of voice was Jeep’s Groundhog Day. This metric is composed of digital activity across Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and search engines. While 114.4 million people may have viewed this spot on TV during the broadcast, it made 274 million social impressions.
That was fun but is this annual advertising craze worth it?
Brands in search of some alternative ways to spend their 5-million-plus dollars, may want to consult this chart from Business Insider. Even better, they could produce a targeted campaign of mail, email, radio and digital ads to reap a 25%+ ROI or $1.25+ million (not to mention brand exposure with a carefully selected, higher-value audience).
