SuperBowl commercial price: How much does a 30 second advert cost? trends now
Super Bowl commercials remain the best way for big brands to reach most Americans - but it comes with a hefty price tag of $7 million for a 30-second spot.
On Sunday night, the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs, two of the league's big market franchises with high star power, look set to challenge the Super Bowl's viewership record - 114 million viewers for New England-Seattle in 2014.
Brands spanning the globe are desperate to buy time, leading to the price tag having gone from $37,500 for Super Bowl I in 1966, $368,200 for Super Bowl XVIII in 1983, and even a gargantuan raise from $4million for an ad just 10 years ago.
Super Bowl advertising's value seemed to be in question towards the end of the 2010s; with prices for a 30-second ad decreasing significantly (from $5.4million to $5.2million) for the first time in the game's history.
But since the 2020 and 2021 Super Bowls held firm at a $5.6million buy-in for an ad, costs have gone up into the stratosphere yet again with 2023's new record for Fox's broadcast of the game.
With costs for 30 seconds of airtime rising to $7million this year, Super Bowl commercials remain the most expensive way to reach the most Americans
The $7 million price tag is for ads that run across the country but local advertising can be just as taxing.
The New York Mets, for example, took out a 30-second commercial that would only run in the New York area. The cost: $256,000.
While ratings for the Super Bowl have been down in recent years from that 2014 record - last year's game drew 99.1million viewers - the game is still far and away the easiest way to reach the most Americans.
Other major television events pale in comparison. The much talked about Grammy Awards the weekend prior drew just 12.4million viewers on CBS; last year's Academy Awards hit 16.6million; President Biden's State of the Union address Tuesday drew 27million, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
Even fellow big ticket sporting events are left in the dust by the NFL - the World Cup final between France and Argentina hit 17.7million US viewers; Game 6 of last year's NBA Finals drew 13.9million; the most-watched game of last year's World Series drew 12.8million, Sports Business Journal reported.
As a display of football's dominance, the most-watched night of the 2022 Beijing Olympics drew 24million, but only because it aired on NBC directly after the Super Bowl.
Super Bowl ads are more than just breaks between gameplay during the biggest sporting event of the year: they offer a glimpse of the country´s zeitgeist, along with how major industries are faring.
This year, crypto ads and automakers are advertising less since those industries are facing problems.
Large advertisements adorn buildings and electronic billboards leading up to Super Bowl LVII
This photo provided by Frito-Lay shows Aaron Paul, Bryan Cranston and Raymond Cruz in scene from PopCorners 2023 commercial
This photo provided by Booking.com shows Melissa McCarthy in scene from Booking.com's ad
Major food brands like M&Ms, tech companies like Google, streaming services including Peacock and alcohol brands have jumped in to take their place.
When Super Bowl LVII kicks off Sunday night with the Kansas City Chiefs taking on the Philadelphia Eagles in Glendale, Arizona, big marketers will be battling it out during the Fox broadcast as well.
Their prize? The chance to capture the attention of more than 100 million viewers expected to tune in for the big game. This price of entry is steep: some advertisers are paying more than $7 million for a 30-second spot, and that doesn't include the cost of making the ad itself.
This year, viewers can expect stars galore, light humor and catchy songs.
For the most part, advertisers are steering away from somber messages or outrageous humor that might have worked to capture attention in decades past, but not now, when the country is still emerging from the pandemic, facing economic uncertainty, and the war
