Super Bowl advertising

Among other things, the Super Bowl, the championship game of the National Football League (NFL) in the United States, is known for the high-profile advertisements that are aired during its television broadcast. Because the Super Bowl is a very highly rated program, prices for advertising space can cost millions of dollars. In 2007, 30 seconds of advertising time cost US$2.6 million due to the extremely large audience, typically more than 90 million viewers. [ [http://money.cnn.com/2007/01/03/news/funny/superbowl_ads/index.htm CBS looking for $2.6 million for a 30-second Super Bowl ad - Jan. 3, 2007 ] ] [ [http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=ap-superbowl-ratings&prov=ap&type=lgns Thrilling Giants-Patriots game makes Super Bowl the second most-watched TV show ever - NFL - Yahoo! Sports ] ] Conversely, the high price tag of the commercials all but promises that they will be spectacular and innovative in most cases. The commercials are often highly anticipated, generating much buzz even before the game is played.

These high-profile ads are usually only broadcast on the originating American network, which is sometimes a source of complaints for viewers elsewhere. This is because the cost of buying commercial time on the American network does not include ad time on foreign broadcasters, which sell their own advertising. Moreover, since there is lower interest in American football outside the U.S., other carriers have smaller audiences for the game, meaning that the ads seen locally may not share the high reputation of the domestic commercials.

This distinction may be particularly frustrating to Canadian viewers. Most Canadians can access the major American networks in addition to their own via cable television. However, American stations are usually subject to simultaneous substitution, meaning the U.S. ads are essentially "blacked out" in Canada. Nevertheless, with the advent of online video sites such as YouTube, it is becoming increasingly easy for interested viewers to access the ads following the game, regardless of location.

History

There has been much concern about the viewing of commercials because of the use of products such as TiVo, which allows viewers to skip over the commercials. However, TiVo reported that viewers were pausing and rewinding back to previous commercials that they enjoyed.

In 2009, the cost of a 30-second commercial on average will be (according to NBC, who will carry the game telecast) $3 million. This excludes production costs and fees for actors, equipment, ad agencies, directors, crew and other personnel.

Notable commercials

*1973 - The first famous Super Bowl commercial was for Noxzema featuring legendary New York Jets quarterback Joe Namath.
*1980 - A spot for Coca-Cola featuring Pittsburgh Steelers All-Pro defensive lineman "Mean Joe" Greene, who is offered a Coca-Cola by a young fan and tosses the kid his game-worn jersey as repayment. However, according to ESPN, this ad never debuted during the Super Bowl.
*1984 - Perhaps the most renowned Super Bowl ad ever, this ad for Apple's Macintosh followed a 1984 theme. Directed by Ridley Scott, the ad featured a woman wearing track-and-field clothing sprinting into a large auditorium and hurling a large hammer into a screen right before security guards can subdue her. On the screen was a large Big Brother-type of face speaking to a massive assembly of drone-like people. His last words were "We shall prevail," before the screen explodes and leaves the audience enraptured in gazing at the spectacle. The ad ran just one more time on television, perhaps compounding its renown.
*1993 - In perhaps his most famous ad, Michael Jordan and Larry Bird play a game of HORSE for a McDonald's Big Mac and fries. The game is made more interesting due to the increasing complex set of obstacles set for both players.
*One of the most famous Super Bowl ad campaigns has been the "I'm Going to Disney World!" ads for the past 20 years.

ee also

*USA Today Super Bowl Ad Meter, an annual survey of Super Bowl commercials taken by USA Today since 1989.

References

External links

* [http://www.mimieo.com 2008 Super Bowl Ad Rankings - via MIMIEO for iPhone]
* [http://www.votesuperbowlads.com 2008 Super Bowl Ad Rankings - Northwestern University Students]
* [http://www.myspace.com/superbowlads Fox/MySpace Super Bowl Ads]
* [http://www.superbowl-ads.com/2007/index.html SuperBowl-Ads.com]
* [http://www.tvadsplus.com/main.asp?pid=redirect&code=xlii Super Bowl XLII (2008) Ads at TVAdsPlus]
* [http://www.ifilm.com/superbowl iFilm Super Bowl ads]
* [http://espn.go.com/page2/s/list/sbcommercials.html ESPN: 10 Best Super Bowl commercials]
* [http://www.cbs.com/specials/2004_superbowl_commercials/ CBS: 10 Best Super Bowl commercials]