For $3.5M, you too can have a 30-second ad during the Super Bowl XLVI. A shot at breaking through the clutter and shining the spotlight on your brand. A chance to run the ad that everyone talks about around the water cooler the Monday after the game. Unfortunately, the opportunity for 2012 has passed. That’s right. Super Bowl ads, despite a 59% cost increase since 2001, have sold out…again.
In many ways Super Bowl is an annual ad bowl. A chance for creative types to showcase their brightest ideas in the hopes of their work being lauded the best play of the game. Unfortunately, there are always a couple of ads that are deemed fumbles. Which begs the question — what makes a Super Bowl ad successful?
A recent infographic from Sharethrough, reveals which ads from last year’s Super Bowl received the most views and shares with conceptual ads deemed the leaders. The question is – during Super Bowl XLVI, will a strong conceptual ad be enough to push a commonly themed ad from a beloved brand out of the MVP seat?
While Pepsi made splash in 2010 by opting not advertise in the Super Bowl and instead invested $20M in Project Refresh, other brands are hoping to make a splash by teasing their game day campaigns.
Candy giant Mars is working to build hype around their upcoming Super Bowl XLVI ad with teasers. Print ads teasing the unveiling of ‘Ms. Brown’ and radio spots teasing ‘a big announcement from M&Ms’ are currently running. As detailed in the New York Times, Ms. Brown will be the second female character to join the animated line up and will make her debut during Super Bowl XLVI.
In early December, Dannon announced that it will debut its first Super Bowl ads this year. How ads for a healthier product such as yogurt stack up against ads for Anheuser-Busch, among other returning favorites, remains to be seen. Will they be a water cooler wow or a fumble to remember?
As game day nears, buzz about the teams and advertisers alike will only build. Which ads are you most excited to see during Super Bowl XLVI? Do you wish more companies would invest their Super Bowl ad dollars in charitable giving and community relations programs?
