Last night, TV aired one of the biggest events in sport, the NFL Super Bowl. Source Marketing Direct® claims the advertising that comes with the Super Bowl is just as memorable as the game itself.
The NFL Super Bowl is one of the biggest sporting events of the year. Not only is this a prestigious night for American Football, but in recent years marketing professionals have also been highlighting the date in their schedules as one to prepare for. Managing director Hector Montalvo at Source Marketing Direct® is a huge NFL fan, and believes the adverts displayed throughout the Super Bowl are almost just as memorable as the game itself.
Marketers spend a huge amount on the adverts for the Super Bowl transforming the event into more than just a sport. According to Nielsen, in 2007 the average cost of a 30-second advert for the Super Bowl cost $2,385,365, and the price has continued to soar consistently despite America’s unstable economy, reaching $3,100,000 in 2011 (nielsen.com). The most popular advertising categories for the Super Bowl are automotive, beer, motion pictures, regular soft drinks and tortilla chips. Even marketing professionals have criticized the advertising attached to the Super Bowl, claiming the adverts were far to “hyped, and that in the end their cost-effectiveness was dubious” (foxnews.com).
This criticism led the NFL to encourage brands to advertise their spots even before the actual date of the big game. This year, the Super Bowl produced a branded website, allowing fans to experience the adverts in advance and watch them at their leisure. Some critics claim too much is made of the event. Hector Montalvo at Source Marketing Direct® believes there is some truth in this but that the exposure the brands receive cannot be matched through other forms of marketing.
The use of advertising has enable the Super Bowl to appeal to more than just football fans. By selecting commercials that attract targeted segments of American society, it creates a larger market reach. In 2011, the brand awareness for commercials aired during the Super Bowl was up to 275 percent higher than awareness for the same during regular programming (nielsen.com). These figures confirm just how much of an impact the Super Bowl has on consumers.
Source Marketing Direct® is an outsourced sales and marketing firm in London. Hector Montalvo, managing director of Source Marketing Direct® has attended the Super Bowl on many occasions, and believes the event is an excellent opportunity for brands to market their product. His company provides direct marketing campaigns which act as an extension to main stream advertising.