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When the Super Bowl kicks off every 1st Sunday in the month of February, millions of Americans tune in, while the rest of the world follow online. However, the event is seldom about the two teams in the final. For marketers, it’s about the rivalry for viewers’ attention and the potential Ad revenue.

The Super Bowl is the biggest event of the year for the National Football League – and is a rare televised event where a third of its audience just want to watch the advertisements. This makes it the biggest event for advertisers. The Big Game as colloquially called is a showcase for adverts, pop culture and a platform for new products and services. Rappers and musicians also perform during the half-time show, increasing their fan reach and popularity.

What makes the Super Bowl the only event in the world for which advertisers are willing to pay up to $6million per 30-second spot so special?

1. The Super Bowl has power!

The Super Bowl has the outstanding ability to draw football fans as well as non-fans whose sole interests are the ads and the halftime entertainment.

It means the capacity to capture attention with a plethora of interesting ads; the eyes of millions of people willing to watch the adverts.

Lastly, it is the ripple effect towards multiple long-term returns.

With a total audience of over 100 million each year, brands have the opportunity to use their advertisement and entertainment to sell their offerings.

2. Super Bowl ads are effective

This effectiveness is due to the anticipation.

Viewers of the Big Game rarely skip the advertisements unlike during regular TV shows. This is because of the intentional build-up for these ads through the occasional release of snippets from as far back as November/December of the previous years.

According to experts, 7.3% of customers attest that Super Bowl ads influence them to search online for more information about a product, 8.4% say the ads influence them to buy the product and 16.9% are more aware of the advertised product. Companies like Budweiser, GoDaddy, Master Lock, Coca-Cola, Tide, and Pepsi who make repeated appearances during the Superbowl have received such direct positive influences on their product.

3. Super Bowl Ads are context-related

In marketing, Content is King. However, Context is Queen – and no King rules without a Queen.

One thing that stands out in Super Bowl adverts is the ability of marketers to present brand messages in a way that suits the environment. That is to say, Super Bowl ads are usually context-related.

They follow the basic rule of marketing which is: Know Your Target Audience. The ads communicate more than just the product with emphasis on trust, loyalty and commitment.

And with huge investments in cinematographic quality, unpredictability, surreal humor, and the use of special effects, super bowl ads effectively entice the customers to purchase the product or respond to the appropriate call-to-action.

An example of a brand employing unpredictability in its advert is Coinbase. The crypto company aired a QR code that was floating across the screen of viewers throughout the length of its ad spot.

The result was a meteoric rise of its app ranking to the number 1 spot on App stores.

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Brands that use the Super Bowl as a showcase for a broader campaign enjoy the most benefit due to the game’s extremely high viewership and wide demographics. 

By combining the carryover effect of the Super Bowl with other Marketing efforts such as social and digital media integration, activations, influence marketing and word-of-mouth advertisements, brands can enjoy longer-lasting reach, expansive exposure up to 60 million, and increased sales potential.

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