Opinion: Super Bowl as king of advertisements

Super Bowl commercials are some of the most effective advertisements during the entire year. These iconic commercials are among the most well-remembered advertisements that consumers will see. Companies have capitalized on the publicity of the annual sports contest.

In addition to using celebrities and cinematic montages to advertise their products, companies are now using social media and other tools to promote their products even more before, during and after the game.

These classic commercials reach a wide audience. The Super Bowl is the most-watched annual event on television, with an estimated 98.2 million views this year, according to USA Today. The closest event in views was last year’s State of Union Address, which only had 45.6 million views. Some people even watch the Super Bowl just for the commercials.

Huffington Post published an article in 2016 saying that 26 percent of millennials prefer Super Bowl advertisements over the game itself.

Super Bowl commercials have become a pageant of their own. Teasers for these advertisements are released online before the game itself, and some watch and rate these advertisements before the game takes place.

USA Today even used an ad-meter to rate advertisements before the game. Tim Calkins, a marketing professor at Northwestern University, said in an interview with CNN that Super Bowl advertisements have become a
two-week extravaganza. 

Companies have found ways to successfully incorporate social media into some of their Super Bowl commercials, giving them another platform to connect with their audience. Many opt to release their advertisements ahead of time on YouTube or other social media platforms.

CNN mentions that some of these teasers include short clips with parts of the commercial. Several companies post interviews with celebrities involved in the commercials or other tantalizing tidbits to build the hype before
the game.

Even during the game, some companies have used social media to keep the advertisements rolling. In addition to running a commercial during the game in 2013, Coco Cola posted the animated bears watching and reacting to other Super Bowl commercials, according to Fox News. 

One particular advertising battle prompted an article about the competition between two rival companies. An article by CNN suggests the biggest competition in Atlanta this year had nothing to do with football. Instead, the article contends Super Bowl weekend was about the showdown between two soda companies, Coco Cola
and Pepsi.

CBS has published their list of the most successful commercials from the 2019 Super Bowl. These include Bumble’s commercial telling the story of Serena Williams’s career, Bud Light’s “Game of Thrones” collusion, T-Mobiles’ “What’s for Dinner” and the Avengers’ “Endgame” trailer. These commercials tell stories that capture people’s attention.

Both the Bud Light and the Avengers advertisements built on stories that have turned into phenomena, CBS said.

So, are Super Bowl advertisements worth the estimated $5.25 million that CNBC reports? If companies want to promote their products before the widest possible audience, definitely. Some companies have even found ways around paying the exorbitant prices for air time.

This year, Coco Cola released its Super Bowl advertisement before kickoff. Pregame commercials cost anywhere from hundreds of thousands of dollars to $1 million, according to Fox News. 

While the prices for Super Bowl advertisements climb every year, the marketing frenzy surrounding the annual event continues to successfully capture people’s attention. Until an alternative event with a large audience establishes itself, the Super Bowl will remain the king of advertisements.