Five Reasons Why Super Bowl Advertising is a Waste of Money
by John Tantillo
President, Marketing Department of America
1) The most famous ad in Super Bowl history —Apple’s “1984” ad directed by Ridley Scott of Gladiator fame— became an icon and introduced so-called “event marketing.” But for Apple, it spelled the beginning of the end in its personal computer war with IBM and Windows. In fact, in the year following the big Super Bowl ad, Apple sold fewer computers than ever.
2) Not everybody watches the Super Bowl. The same money spent on Super Bowl ads, used instead to reach those watching other television programs on at the same time, could land almost double the viewers in the 18-49 demographic.
3) Why does the hype continue? Because Super Bowl advertising is great publicity for advertising agencies. (Unfortunately, it’s a poor business decision for their clients).
4) A direct marketing campaign that invested $3 million in advertising and production costs (the rough price tag of a 30-second Super Bowl commercial) would generate a much higher multiple of sales.
5) The cost for one Super Bowl ad in 2010 (somewhere between $2.4 and 2.7 million for a 30-second spot) could buy up to 600 30-second ads in the New York City market or 800 30-second ads in L.A.
Editor's Note: Click here for more of Tantillo's perspective on why Super Bowl advertising isn't worth the investment.
The opinions expressed in this post are the views of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of the American Marketing Association.
