The Super Bowl: Is Spending $5 Million for 30 Seconds of Advertising Space Worth It?

Levy, Parker

Publication

The Super Bowl: Is Spending $5 Million for 30 Seconds of Advertising Space Worth It?

Levy, Parker

Date

2016

Additional date(s)

2016-05-19

Abstract

The Super Bowl has continued to be a grandiose stage for brands as television viewership has stayed steadily over 100 million. For this reason, it's the perfect opportunity for brands to show why they should be chosen over their competitors. Unfortunately, to be put on this grandiose stage means offering up a hefty sum of money. Most recently, the price tag was placed at $5 million for 30 seconds of advertising space. With cheap, new opportunities arising by the likes of social media and digital marketing, one can't help but raise the question: is it worth it to spend $5 million for 30 seconds of advertising? At the end of the day, there is no blanket statement or rule declaring whether it's worth it to spend money to advertise during the Super Bowl. It all comes down to perspective. Generally speaking, the Super Bowl is a great platform for brands to reach a large audience and increase awareness -- whether for the brand as a whole or particular attributes of the brand. It also has become a status symbol showing that a brand is capable of advertising in the Super Bowl. Other than that, when taking into account the cost to produce and activate a television commercial, it's difficult to find any more respectable reasons to spend such a hefty price on 30 seconds, especially when there are multiple alternatives.