Is a $5.5 million Super Bowl ad still worth the money?
Answered independently in 3 episodes. Every line below is verbatim from the transcript, timestamped to the moment it was said.
What the archive says
01At roughly $5.5 million for 30 seconds, Super Bowl advertising may still be the best impression-for-impression buy available if you can afford it, because attention is concentrated and people actively watch the commercials. source →
02A 30-second Super Bowl spot ran about $5.6 million in media alone; once you add agency and creative costs Ryan estimates the total closer to $10 million, which is the number you should actually compare against alternatives. source →
03Ryan's rule of thumb for a Super Bowl buy: yes if you're a well-funded new brand launching a mass-market product, or an existing brand launching an all-new feature or product; otherwise the money likely goes further elsewhere. source →
04Super Bowl LV inventory started selling slower than prior years but was reported around 80% sold out by November/December, with Pringles, Budweiser, TurboTax, Mars/M&M's and Toyota in, and Olay and Avocados From Mexico sitting out. source →
What was actually said
Hey guys, on this episode of the Radical Company Podcast, Robbie and I break down the Super Bowl ads. Some of our favorites, some of the fails, was it worth five million dollars.
I rather put that $2,500 to $5,000 other people charge you to pay into paid media. Yeah. It's just the reality is there's a lot of wasted money in SEO and it still matters to be on it, but Google's changed the game so much with what you see.
However, the Super Bowl is that time and place in that moment where there's so much attention on it. You've got people over for parties, you've got stuff and people watching the commercials has become an event. And so if five and a half million dollars on air to watch, to reach $250 million, how many of the people it is, it might actually be impression for impression, the best buy you can make if you can afford it.
3 episodes answer this
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