Super Bowl Commercials: Bigger Than The Game
April 6, 2015
This past Super Bowl was one of the best games in recent memories. With Jermaine Kearse’s acrobatic catch seemingly capping a repeat champion season, Pete Carol inexplicably passing on the 1-yard line, and Malcolm Butler making him pay in the end, it was a game that was never certain until the final minute.
However, many articles about the game were about the commercials during the game rather than the game itself. Super Bowl Sunday has become a quintessential holiday in the United States, with 114.4 million people tuning in to watch the most viewed telecast in American history.
Many aspects of the Super Bowl have led to this obsession, and one of these aspects are the commercials. Budweiser released another heartwarming commercial involving Clydesdales and a dog, and Nationwide made waves on social media with their controversial child death commercial.
However, there is a question brought forth with rising consumerism, which is: Are Super Bowl commercials a bigger deal than the Super Bowl? At a staggering $4.5 million for a 30-second time slot, it is apparent that commercials during the most-watched game of the year have become extremely prevalent.
Most name-brand companies dole out the money for a commercial, but even small companies, including apps like Clash of Clans and Game of War, had a coveted 30-second slot. The price of commercials during the Super Bowl is bound to continue to go up, but how much? In the span of 12 years, the price has gone up a staggering $2.5 million for 30 seconds.
This increase in expenses symbolizes the prevalence of Super Bowl Sunday in the United States, and the prevalence of consumerism by the majority of the population. However, when asked “are the commercials bigger than the game?” I say no.
Viewership peaked in the fourth quarter, when Tom Brady led the Patriots down the field twice and Malcolm Butler became an overnight hero. At this point, there were over 120 million people glued to their television screens, riveted to a great game, not the commercials.