The match at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida, which is filled to 30 percent of capacity, will feature Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs, the defending champion, against Tom Brady, who is playing in his 10th Super Bowl , this time as a new star of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Although Tampa and Kansas City are medium-sized television markets and the NFL ratings are lower this season, some TV executives expect the quarter-final match between the markets to draw 100 million or more viewers. Last year’s match had a television audience of 99.9 million.
Fox, which aired the 2020 game, sold all of its Super Bowl advertising space ahead of the 2019 Thanksgiving holiday, generating $ 448.7 million in advertising revenue from the game, according to research firm Kantar. Sales have been slower this year, and CBS only filled its approximately 70 slots last week.
The attention generated by Super Bowl ads extends beyond the game. Twice as many people see the ads on social media sites compared to during the broadcast, said Jonah Berger, a marketing professor at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School. Brands also hope that their ads are distinctive or dramatic enough to generate talk after the final whistle.
“But this echo effect on which many brands apply is not going to be that big this year,” he said. Berger said. “Fewer people will speak in the office on Monday morning because they will not be in the office.”
For many companies, advertising is just one part of Super Bowl marketing these days. Verizon’s plan includes sponsorship of game sessions on Twitch, a virtual stadium of Verizon in the online video game Fortnite, and a live post-concert featuring Alicia Keys and Miley Cyrus. The company’s traditional TV ad “was the easiest of all the things we do,” said Diego Scotti, Verizon’s head of marketing.
Matt Manning, chief executive of the MKTG agency, said the Super Bowl in a typical year was “probably the leading event” for the advertising industry, adding that his colleagues often had trouble finding a hotel room within 20 miles of the stadium. Because of the pandemic, he is not going this year, he said.
It will also be the first time in 15 years that Jeremy Carey, the managing director of Optimum Sports, will not attend the game. He said his company, the sports marketing division of advertising firm Omnicom Media Group, handles as many as 20 percent of Super Bowl advertisers. Even at a distance from the field, he expects to feel tense on Sunday.
“It’s nothing else,” he said. Carey said. ‘When you look at the best performing programs out there, nothing even comes close. There are nervous pieces of junk that go along with it – but if you did not have it as a Super Bowl marketer, I would question your humanity. ‘
John Koblin contribution made.