The big game

It's that time of the year again. Super Bowl week is here. This year, the big game will be held at Miami's Hard Rock Stadium and will kick off at 11.30pm GMT on Sunday 2nd February. The game will see two beloved franchises battling to lift the Lombardi Trophy for the first time in decades. The San Francisco 49ers will be attempting to lift the trophy for the first time since 1995. The Kansas City Chiefs last won the Super Bowl in 1970.

Unsurprisingly, Super Bowl Sunday isn't just about two teams playing football. The day consists of mass food and beverage consumption, with 135 billion wings eaten in 2018. Those who aren't as interested in the game itself will be treated to a halftime show performance from Shakira and Jenifer Lopez. Or, there's always the half time Puppy Bowl.

Fun aside, the Super Bowl is one of the biggest days of the year in terms of marketing and commercial content. Instead of grabbing a snack or running to the bathroom, viewers of the game will find themselves engaging and ranking adverts based on creativity and humour. The best advertisements are often talked about for many months after the game and can go a long way in defining a brand.

Advertising during the Super Bowl isn't cheap. According to Forbes, Fox has been selling 30-second TV advertisements for $5.6 million, a record fee. This does not account for the price of filming, celebrity appearance fees and any cross-marketing on other platforms, such as social media. Whilst most multinational companies use the event to keep their brand relevant and to flaunt their budgets, the opportunity to reach a mass audience can lead to a significant surge in sales for a lesser-known company.

Despite the price, a successful advert can positively impact revenue. A 2016 paper found that movies that run advertisements during the game will experience on average an $8.4 million increase in opening weekend tickets. More recently, Mountain Dew saw an increase in sales by 17% following their advert during the 2018 Super Bowl, whilst Pepsi saw a 12% increase immediately following their advertisement. This can mean millions in revenue for multinational corporations of this size, justifying the cost of the campaign.

Most of the companies that are expected to have adverts in this year's Super Bowl have already been announced. Some of these companies have already released their adverts early through YouTube and other social media platforms. This can help in generating consumer engagement before the advert airs during the game. Super Bowl advertising veterans such as Budweiser, Pepsi and M&M's have confirmed that they will be running adverts this year. Burger King will also be making a return after being absent for over 10 years. First-time advertisers such as the dating-app Bumble and Expensify will be hoping that their campaigns make a big splash. To conclude, let's look at a few of the most successful and engaging advertisements during previous Super Bowl games.

1 – Alexa Lost Her Voice (2018).

This advert aired last year and featured four A-list celebrities that helped Alexa out when she temporarily lost her voice. It was a 90-second advert and went a long way in humouring the audience.

2 – Coca Cola’s “Mean Joe Greene” (1979).

Considered one of the best advertisements in Super Bowl history, Coca Cola ran an advert which included Joe Greene, the former Pittsburgh Steelers star. The advertisement pulled the heartstrings of the audience and is always mentioned when discussing Super Bowl advertising throughout history.

3 – Apple Macintosh (1984).

Another advertisement that is historically one of the most memorable was Apple’s promotion of their new Macintosh computer in 1984. The advert was replayed on news sites across the world afterwards and contributed to great sales figures for the new computer.

4 – Snickers Betty White (2010).

The slogan “You’re not you when you are hungry” was born during this advertisement. Snickers benefitted from the iconic Betty White and the slogan is now instantly associated with the brand.