Sunday, February 1, 2009

I watch the internet for the Super Bowl ads

Super Bowl ads are as big a tradition as the game itself, but this year the ads that aren't going to be ad seem to be making an even bigger splash.


PETA has famously had an advocacy ad banned because it was deemed too racy. NBC bounced a pro-life ad because they apparently don't allow advocacy ads. And Miller's one-second beer ads will last a second but appear only on local NBC affiliates - not on the national broadcast. Each of these gimmicky ads might have been overlooked with simpler standard commercials; each's unique reason for not being part of the big game broadcast is newsworthy enough to draw attention from internet users. I'd bet their cost-per-viewer is much cheaper now, too.


NBC's Super Bowl ads are going for $3 million for 30 seconds, but as of Wednesday they had not sold all the advertising space available. The idea of a Super Bowl ad means so much more than 30 seconds of highly viewed TV time now though, that even an end-run around the actual game can have viral value for a smart, budget-conscious marketer.


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