American Football? Are people really interested in that? Yes, they are. It is estimated over 160 million viewers worldwide are going to watch the Super Bowl this year (2018).
What actually is the Super Bowl?
Think of the Super Bowl as the cup final of the American Football season. The National Football League (NFL) is divided into 2 conferences – the AFC and the NFC. After the regular season, the knockout rounds and the divisional final, the best team in each division face each other in the Super Bowl.
What is so special about it?
The Super Bowl is considered as one of the biggest sport events of the year in America. The event is especially known for big show effects. Not only the game is of high importance but also the half time show in which a world-famous artist is performing (2018: Justin Timberlake) and the extraordinary advertisement around the event. A 30-second spot – airing during the game – costs over $5 million in 2018, according to NBC, the broadcasting TV channel this year.
Since the Super Bowl affects a huge global viewership, the event generates huge advertising revenues. At the Super Bowl in 2017 it was around 385,000,000 U.S. dollars.
It is regarded that the first ever blockbuster commercial spot was Apple’s ad in 1984 introducing the first Macintosh. Since then the productions have became costlier and the slogan “bigger is better” has come into play.
What advertising trends can be expected this year?
Advertisement that provokes. As per last year, it will include political topics (e. g. equal pay of women: Audi or diversity: Airbnb). The brands want to create something viral, something that people will talk about the next morning. Celebrities are often featured in commercials, in fact this year Lexus and Marvel are cooperating and PepsiCo will feature Cindy Crawford in their spot.
What are the most successful ads of all time Super Bowl?
Wendy’s, Budweiser, Apple or Volkswagen. Each company managed to create an ad that was so successful it remarkably boosted their sales.
To give an example, Wendy’s created the “Where’s the Beef” spot and it boosted their revenue by 31% in that year. Also, very popular was the Budweiser “Whassup” commercial in which the beer is promotion is subtle with the spot being more entertaining than advertising. The phrase was widely quoted afterwards by many – an evoking an association with the beer.
The Super Bowl is one of the biggest marketing events of the year and it’ll continue to set trends in the terms of video marketing. Furthermore, it always gives a good overview on what is to come in the future.