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After an eventful weekend of NFL conference championship games, we, as sports fans, turn our attention to Super Bowl LVII, which will feature a matchup between the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs. It has long been said that sports are a business and nothing proves that more than the Super Bowl. The big game represents the ultimate advertising activation opportunity for companies, as it should, given the Super Bowl is the most-watched sporting event in the U.S. Last year’s Super Bowl LVI between the Los Angeles Rams and Cincinnati Bengals attracted 99.18 million viewers alone, and this year’s game is sure to challenge that number.
The most prominent topic surrounding this year’s Super Bowl is how much companies pay for advertising slots. Variety reported that in September of 2022, Fox sold 30-second advertising slots to companies anywhere from 6 to 7 million dollars. In addition, Executive Vice President of ad sales for Fox Sports Mark Evans highlighted the speed with which companies moved to cement their ad spots by stating in an interview, “the network is nearly sold out of commercial inventory for the sports extravaganza with 95% of its Super Bowl ad inventory spoken for”. Not only are these 30-second slots the most expensive, but they have also sold out the fastest compared to previous Super Bowls. Take last year’s Super Bowl, for example; NBCUniversal reported that Super Bowl ads had sold out merely ten days before the game.
Super Bowl LVII will usher in some firsts on the sponsorship front; the NFL signed a 250 million-dollar agreement with Apple Music to sponsor this year’s halftime show after it severed its 10-year sponsorship deal with Pepsi. In addition, Rihanna will headline this year’s halftime show; this partnership’s goal is to highlight the relationship between sports and music further.
“Music and sports hold a special place in our hearts, so we’re very excited Apple Music will be part of music and football’s biggest stage,” said Oliver Schusser, Apple’s vice president of Apple Music and Beats. “We’re looking forward to more epic performances next year and beyond with the Apple Music Super Bowl Halftime Show.”
For more than 30 years, Anheuser-Busch has been the exclusive alcohol sponsor of the Super Bowl. Last year they decided not to renew their contract with Fox. However, they will maintain their relationship with the NFL as their exclusive beverage sponsor. Though some changes have occurred, according to Front Office Sports, Anheuser-Busch will have three minutes of advertising time during this year’s game. “We are the biggest advertiser,” said Benoit Garbe, Chief Marketing Officer at Anheuser-Busch. The “reality is that there was no true exclusivity,” as competitors were able to buy regional ads. For Super Bowl, LVII Anheuser-Busch spent 3.5 more than its competitors on advertisement space.
One could argue that the Super Bowl commercials are more memorable than the games. This year it is no different, be sure to be on the lookout for commercials from Doritos featuring Jack Harlow and his love triangle, and Michelob Ultra’s play on the movie Caddyshack featuring Serena Williams and Brian Cox. One that I am personally anticipating is Fan Duel’s Kick of Destiny. Former NFL tight end Rob Gronkowski will kick a field goal live, and if he makes the field goal, those who bet on the Fan Duel app will have the opportunity to win cash prizes. Below are some of my favorite Super Bowl commercials. Be sure to leave in the comments your personal favorites.
Here are my top five Super Bowl ads of all time:
- Pepsi: More Than Ok (2019) – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=64UH1_D95gQ
- Budweiser: True (Wassap) (2000)-https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JJmqCKtJnxM&t=2s
- E-trade Baby (2008) – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X4GZfvXx9Js&t=1s
- Snickers Betty White (2010) – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=voqdFtr7FjU&t=1s
- Terry Tate Reebok’s Office Linebacker (2003) – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kg5cdZ-Fnpc&embeds_euri=https%3A%2F%2Fsportsnaut.com%2F&source_ve_path=MjM4NTE&feature=emb_title
