30 second Super Bowl ad costs £3.6m
February 2, 2018
By Nik Roseveare
On February 4th, Super Bowl LII takes place in Minneapolis pitting the Philadelphia Eagles against the New England Patriots. Wochit, the video creation platform, reports that this year a 30 second ad-slot for the most-watched TV event in the world will cost £3.6 million (€4.1m).
Dror Ginzberg, CEO of Wochit, commented “Once again, the price tag to advertise during half-time at the Super Bowl has skyrocketed. A 30 second slot will cost an eye-watering £3.6 million this year, which will help overtake last year’s overall record spend of $419 million by advertisers for these TV spots. Very few events can charge such a premium, the closest yearly event similar to the Super Bowl is the Champions League final. Yet, similar TV ad spots are estimated to cost just a fraction, £225,000, in comparison.”
“However, in recent years, due to such an exorbitant price tag for these slots, brands are now trying to ensure their Super Bowl TV ad get as much visibility as possible, especially on social media. Previously they believed that their ads would get the most impact by premiering during the game on TV. However, Volkswagen’s ‘The Force’ was the first ad to show the real value of focusing on social media channels, such as YouTube and has gone on to become one of the most shared videos of all time. Brands must now have an eye on creating an ad that works both on social and on TV, with the overall aim of creating a viral sensation.”
“While ads around the game have gone online, so have fans to watch the game. Last year a record 1.3 million people logged in to watch Super Bowl LI online. However, the Super Bowl is still primarily watched on TV, as 111 million viewers tuned in last year. Expect online audiences, especially amongst young people to grow in the coming years, with nearly a quarter likely to watch the game online in the future,” Ginzberg concluded.