World Advertising News

Scarlett Johanson stars in a SodaStream Super Bowl ad.

Whether or not this year's Super Bowl becomes the most-watched ever, it is expected to be the most-expensive ever for Madison Avenue.

Fox, which is broadcasting the game, is earning between $4 million and $4.1 million for an average 30 second spot-slightly ahead of last year's $4 million rate, but up dramatically from the $3 million price tag in 2009, and the $2.3 million back in 2004.

What's striking about that $4 million price is that it's about two and a half times the second-priciest spot on television, typically the Academy Awards.

Why is it so valuable? Because there are so many choices of what to watch every other day of the year, and because during the big game, advertisers are guaranteed to reach an unprecedented audience-this year's game is expected to draw more than 110 million viewers.

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"The gap between what the Super Bowl delivers in viewers versus regular scheduled entertainment shows gets wider and wider every year because the media landscape has become so fractionalized," says Horizon Media's Brad Adgate. "So there's a premium to reach all those viewers across all age groups and demographics."

This year it's a bit of a perfect storm. The game is in the nation's largest media market, New York. The fact that it's the first SuperBowl to be played in freezing temperatures is sure to draw interest. The NFL is also riding a ratings surge, and that's expected to continue with the top-seeded teams facing off.

But it's not just the size of the audience. Ads are part of the entertainment, as audiences expect the Super Bowl to deliver creative, headline-making ads. "Our stats show that the holding power of the commercials in the Super Bowl far exceeds that of any other television programming. In a typical Super Bowl commercial, less than one half of one percent of the audience switches channels or tunes away during the commercial breaks," says Kantar Media's Chief Research Officer Jon Swallen.

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This year the usual suspects are out in force. Anheuser-Busch is expected to show five ads. And of course there are a slew of automakers, including Audi, Hyundai, Toyota, Kia, VW, and Chevrolet, which is back with two 60 second spots, after parent General Motors sat out last year's big game.

For the first time Jaguar is buying a spot, featuring James Bond-style super-villains. This is notable because it's a testament to the game's increasingly affluent viewership, drawing more high-end brands. Last year the household rating of the Super Bowl was 59.7% in homes with a household income of $100,000-plus, compared to a 46.7% rating for the US, according to Nielsen.