Jeff’s Journal
By Jeff Whitaker
The big day is less than two weeks away and for those of us in South Jersey there is even more reason to watch the Super Bowl this year. Even if you are not an Eagles fan or particularly fond of football in general, the Super Bowl is still a big excuse for most of us to gather with family and friends to socialize, eat, watch the game, eat and of course pause every few minutes for the commercials. It’s true that most Super Bowl “watchers” concentrate more or at least as much on the commercials as they do the game itself. We all watch with great anticipation to see who comes up with the most clever, memorable and creative ad. For the companies buying the ads, it’s a good thing so much attention is drawn to the tv given the price tag of a 30 second spot. This year, Fox announced weeks ago that they were already 95% sold out at a whopping $7 million price tag per commercial. That’s just to air the spot and doesn’t include the money it takes to produce some of these commercials. That figure can also easily run into the millions. It’s a huge gamble if the company is looking for a substantial return on their investment. Consider as well that many of the commercials you see during the game only run that one time. In the ad industry, there is a certain amount of bragging rights for those who find a commercial among the most talked about. But as far as dollar for dollar return, it’s often anyone’s guess.
To give you an idea of how big these “super” ad dollars have come, the first Super Bowl in January of 1967 saw a price tag of a paltry $37,500 per 30 second ad. How times have changed. It wasn’t until 1994 that prices climbed past the $1 million mark.
No doubt you remember a commercial or two that grabbed your attention, caused you to laugh or maybe even convinced you to try a product or service. According to superbowl-ads.com some of the most memorable ads belong to Budweiser and their famous Clydesdales. If you check out their website, you can look back at those ads and more over the years, ads that their staff feel stand out from the pack. I don’t know about you, but some of the ads seem to be so “creative” that I don’t even get what they are trying to sell. And on the other hand there are others that are so simple and void of the overuse of special effects that their message stands out in the crowd. One thing is for sure, in addition to the highlights of what we hope will be an Eagles victory, you can always count on a commercial or two to provide something more to talk about around the water cooler Monday morning.
Jeff Whitaker is a veteran broadcaster here in South Jersey. He now draws on his experience and training to work with companies and individuals to develop effective storytelling, communications and leadership skills. Find free resources and ways Jeff can work with you at jeffwhitaker.com
