| NFL ratings have mostly been higher this season, which helps explain why Fox sold its entire initial batch of Super Bowl ad slots by late November, far faster than in recent years. A 30-second commercial costs $5.6 million, but it comes with the guarantee of a huge captive audience, which is only bolstered by social media. The buzziest ad this week has surely been Planters' spot killing off Mr. Peanut, which has met criticism after Kobe Bryant's death in a helicopter crash but was probably never a good idea. Hershey is running its first Super Bowl ad since 2008, and Cheetos is likewise back for the first time in more than a decade, with an ad featuring MC Hammer. SodaStream, too, has a '90s icon for a pitchman: Bill Nye. Among the other noteworthy commercials are spots by Olay, targeting an underrepresented demographic, and by WeatherTech, focusing not on its car floor mats but on the recovery of its CEO's dog from a dire cancer diagnosis. The broadcast will again be relatively light on movie commercials, but viewers won't be spared from political ads. Also expect to hear plenty of promotion for #another sport that airs on Fox#.
Brands aren't limiting their spending to the broadcast, either. Lowe's erected an interactive neighborhood featuring 32 custom-built dwellings—one for each of the NFL's teams—and Courtyard by Marriott transformed a stadium suite into a guest room. Nike spent an estimated $2 million renovating Nathaniel Traz Powell Stadium, which hosts seven high school football teams. Its rival Adidas, meanwhile, installed a synthetic football field at Miami Edison High School using its recycled Primeblue material. |
