Production Cost vs. Placement Cost During the Big Game

We all look forward to the Super Bowl for two main reasons. First, getting together with friends and family, ordering pizza, drinking (root) beer and putting on our eating pants, and secondly for the commercials. While ordering a pizza and driving to a friends house might only cost you about 30 bucks total, the second favorite pastime costs companies a lot more than you might think.

In 2017, the cost for a 30 second spot during the Super Bowl was $5 million. If you think that's bad, imagine spending $9 million for a 60 second spot. Nine. Million. Dollars. Absurd right? While you might think it's a bit bananas to spend that much money on a spot just to make a funny joke or make a political statement, for some companies it's worth it.

84 Lumber released a rather controversial ad this year, depicting a single mother and her daughter attempting to come into the United States all to be met at the end of their journey blocked by a large, recently built wall.

The lumber conglomerate was forced to edit their ad just a little bit to not show the wall, seeing as it was a strong political statement seemingly against the newly elected President, Donald Trump. However, in a statement the Monday after Super Bowl Sunday, the CEO of 84 Lumber, a woman, released the fact that she did vote for Trump and currently still supports him.

Politics and controversy aside, it was very important for 84 Lumber to release an ad because they are a relatively small company. No one may know where they came up with $9 million to pay for a 60 second advertising spot, but they did. It was probably the most controversial and most talked about ads of the 2017 football game.

Nonetheless, some professionals think that advertising during the Super Bowl isn't worth their time or money. According to SmallBusiness.chron.com, average production cost of a national television ad is about 342,000 dollars. That's before you even submit the ad to the television network, which for the Super Bowl is FOX, and pay them either $5 or $9 million dollars.

Many companies that are notorious for advertising during the Super Bowl, like Budweiser or Doritos,  don't actually see much gain in sales after advertising. They are pretty much in the lucrative game for the publicity and to get people talking. After all, word of mouth advertising is the strongest and most persuasive way to get people to buy or use your products or services.

What do you think? Is it worth it as a large or small company to spend over a quarter of a million dollars to produce a high-quality commercial, then buy a spot during the Super Bowl each year for between $5 and $9 million? Let me know in the comments below!

Let's Talk About The Super Bowl Ads

In just a few short days, football fans across the country will congregate to celebrate what has become one of the most important (if not, THE most important) games in professional American sports: The Super Bowl. This year's contest will be hosted at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California, and will pit the young gun quarterback Cam Newton and the nearly perfect Carolina Panthers against the Denver Broncos, with their league-topping defense and their legendary quarterback at the helm, Peyton Manning.

While the ordinary prudent person sees the Super Bowl as "The Big Game" or "A Really Good Excuse to Gorge on Wings and Beer" (depending on how much you enjoy football), advertisers see it more like "The Holy Grail". Thanks to tools like Nielsen, companies know exactly how many TVs are tuned into The Super Bowl. If SB 50 will be anything like the Super Bowls of the past, the Big Game will be the most watched event this year by a long shot.

 To most companies buying ad space months in advance, it really doesn't matter who's playing in the Big Game. It doesn't matter if America is more #Panthers than #Broncos. It doesn't matter if you're a diehard and you've already resolved to name your first child Peyton, boy or girl, no matter what your husband/wife says. It doesn't even matter if you don't actually know who Peyton Manning is - to you, he's just the Nationwide guy who really loves chicken parm. And why wouldn't he? Chicken parm is the bee's knees. And real talk: that chicken parm sandwich he's got looks a lot better than literally anything he's cooking with in the Papa John's ad.

"Chicken parm, you taste so good." Same, Peyton. Same.

                                         

Nah. Stick to quarterbacking and chicken parm.

Now, if you've ever turned on your television for 20 consecutive seconds over the last decade, you'd know that Manning is no stranger to being in commercials; he's all over the place. The guy has appeared in ads for everything from Gatorade and Nerf, to Mastercard and Buick. But that's another blog post assignment topic for another day.

While people are betting, bar fighting, and breaking up over which team is going to call themselves Champions on Sunday night, top companies are passive-aggressivley trying to call themselves Champions, too. Every company that advertises in the Super Bowl wants to be the commercial everyone is talking about around the water cooler on Monday morning.

In the past, there's been commercials that have truly left a lasting impression on viewers. A lot of times, these commercials elicit some kind of emotion, or trigger a memory for the viewer. Like we've discussed in class, invoking these kinds of associations with advertising is what makes them so successful, and what gets the company's message across.

Ask anyone. I'm sure they have a favorite Super Bowl commercial. It's the same as having a favorite color or type of coffee. It's just a fact of life.

Mine happens to involve a few of my favorite things in this world: dogs and beer.

To put it simply and blunty, this commercial has everything you ever could want in life:

• Cutest little puppy ever to exist in the past, present, and future history of this earth, as well as unknown existing and non-existing universes.                   
• Factual evidence -

• Huge but yet still classy and graceful-looking Clydesdales.
• Ridiculously good-looking cowboy. 
• Unbreakable friendship that withstands the terrible occurrence of being taken away by someone who clearly does not deserve Heaven's Most Perfect Canine Creation (see above picture).
• Beer.

While Budweiser is always a fan favorite, they might have some competition this year. Heinz recently jumped on the doggie bandwagon with this year's Super Bowl ad for Heinz's "family"of products. 

I know, I know. "I LITERALLLLY CRIEDDD," too. Believe me, I understand. I personally want to hug whoever wanted to use baby dachshunds in hot dog buns as a means to bring awareness to a host of different condiments. Pure creative genius. Give the guy a medal. 

Looks like it's your move, @Budweiser. You need to out-cute Heinz. Seeing as they have an army of weiner dogs and a toddler dressed as a ketchup packet, you might actually be considered the underdog (LOL) this year.

So, which team will be crowned winners this weekend? That's a question we'll find out the answer to on Sunday night. 

The definitive winner, however? Puppies, man. Regardless of the score, nobody's a loser when man's best friend is involved.

TurboTax | Taxes Done Smarter

April 18th -- Tax day.  Where's your W-2? Did you correctly file your tax return? Nobody really likes doing their taxes, but fortunately it's 2016 and you have options.

TurboTax, by the developer Intuit Inc, has become an increasingly popular tax program in recent years. Aside from advances and developments within the program, the company's success can be attributed to an effective marketing strategy. Intuit spends a majority of its marketing efforts in the months leading up to tax day and regularly promotes the program's ease of use as well as the credibility of the company.

Their most recent TV advertising campaign features several world renowned mathematicians, engineers, and scientists explaining the step-by-step straightforwardness of the TurboTax experience to a dramatized consumer.

Michio Kaku: Absolute Zero

S. James Gates: W-2

Using celebrity endorsements is a great way to reach and persuade new audiences to try their product, and the comical narrative of the advertisements makes them thoroughly entertaining! After all, it doesn't take a genius to do your taxes.

Check out the whole campaign here!