It’s common knowledge that the commercials that run during the Super Bowl are almost as highly anticipated as the game itself.
Last year, 106.5 million viewers tuned in, and the rates for a 30-second ad spot for the 2011 Super Bowl commanded an average of $2.7 to $3 million, according to some sources. All the slots were apparently sold by October 2010.
Clearly, in an age of TiVo and viral marketing, for the Super Bowl at least, traditional commercials are still king. However, experts suggest that we can expect to see a strong push to social media within the older medium.
Mercedes Benz, for example, is holding a “Tweet Race” in which four cars starting in different parts of the country race to Dallas on game day, running on the fuel of consumer tweets.
One expert cautions the push to social media will not guarantee the success of one of those ad spots.
“A direct tie-in to social media, such as putting alternative punch lines, endings, contest entry information on Facebook or challenging viewers to post reactions on YouTube is actually the lazy way to go viral,” says Lew Small, assistant professor of marketing at York College of Pennsylvania.
So what kind of ads can we expect this year? The requisite celebrity-driven spots will be in place — Kim Kardashian will be schilling Sketchers — but experts also anticipate an emphasis on positivity concerning the ads’ humor and tone.
Past favorites
» 2010: Betty White Snickers campaign
» 1993: Michael Jordan and Larry Bird play a game of “HORSE” for McDonald’s Big Mac and fries
» 1984: Apple goes “1984” in Ridley Scott-directed piece
