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Buyers bearish on ’07 Super Bowl advertising
11:51 a.m., Jan. 29, 2007--When the Chicago Bears and the Indianapolis Colts run onto the field at Miami's Dolphin Stadium for Super Bowl XVI, each will have a strategy to win the big game. And along with those NFL teams, a number of corporations are betting up to $2.6 million per 30-second advertisement that their strategy also will be a winning one, according to a University of Delaware professor with expertise in Super Bowl advertising. “We know that one team will win and one will lose, but there will also be winners and losers in the high stakes competition among the companies that bought TV's most expensive ad time,” John Antil, associate professor of business administration, said. “We know the teams involved, but we still do not know all the companies who will be gambling they have the best strategy.” Antil said this has been an unusual year for Super Bowl ads. He said pre-game publicity is muted, with some companies not even letting it be known they will be in the broadcast and others unwilling to offer a hint of what their ads will contain. “Given that one of the main reasons for advertising on the Super Bowl is to take advantage of the all the pre- and post-game publicity, it is surprising that so many have forgone the hype,” he said. In addition, with only a week to go, CBS still had some advertising units that it needed to sell. Though not unusual to have some time left to be sold, it appears that this year has been more of a challenge for CBS to sell the high priced spots, especially those in the less desirable fourth quarter, Antil said. “Some companies prefer to take a risk and wait until late in hopes of getting a much better deal. Depending on the number of units available, a company might be able to get a spot for $2 million, or even less,” Antil said, adding that if CBS cannot sell all of its units for a reasonable price, it could end up using the time itself to promote its own programs instead of alienating other buyers by offering too large a discount. “Buying Super Bowl time is unlike any other advertising purchase and it is a very complicated process that involves considerable negotiation, risk and gamesmanship,” Antil said. Even with publicity low, several Super Bowl advertisers have been getting considerable attention, although not all the buzz was what the company had sought. “Nationwide Insurance let out the details of their ad and perhaps wished they had not,” Antil said, explaining that the spot features “wannabe” rap singer Kevin Federline, the former husband of singer Britney Spears, as a fast food restaurant worker who in his dreams sees himself a star but in real life is being yelled at by his boss. The ad has been found offensive by some, including the National Restaurant Association, which called it “a strong and direct insult to the 12.8 million Americans who work in the restaurant industry.” “Though some say that any publicity is good publicity, it may not apply here since the implication is that these workers will be encouraged to avoid retaining Nationwide Insurance,” Antil said. More recently GoDaddy.com has been the master of pregame publicity, Antil said, adding that unlike all other advertisers, they have taken advantage of stricter censorship following Janet Jackson's “wardrobe malfunction” by intentionally trying to air the most provocative commercial. GoDaddy founder and chief executive officer Bob Parsons keeps interested parties up to date on his blog, which chronicles each failed attempt to get an ad approved. No doubt related to GoDaddy's preference for risqué ads, their ad agency quit the account over “creative differences." A new twist has been added to the creative process this year with consumer-developed ads, perhaps in the spirit of YouTube and other such web sites. Three companies are airing spots that have various levels of consumer input. Frito Lay appears to be the only one showing the actual ad created by a consumer, although the finalists were done by experienced filmmakers and appear very professional. General Motors opened its contest only to college students who were asked to submit concepts for a Chevrolet ad that will then be produced by one of its agencies, and the NFL also invited fans to pitch their ideas for “the best Super Bowl commercial ever.” Though there are still several unknown sponsors, the usual suspects will return once again. Powerhouse Super Bowl advertiser Anheuser Busch will again have the largest presence with 10 spots, which Antil said will likely be among the most entertaining given the experience of the brewer and its agencies who have developed “a tried and true formula that normally includes a surprise ending that leaves viewers laughing out loud.” The cola wars will once again be fought during the broadcast. In a somewhat surprising move, Coca-Cola will resume advertising on the Super Bowl after a 10-year absence, Antil said, noting that Coke's rival, Pepsi, has been a dominant force in recent Super Bowls, not only buying several spots but also having considerable success with consumers by having many of the most likeable ads. “It is a risky decision by Coke to go head to head once again against the perennial favorite,” Antil said. “Pepsi has again taken a dominant presence by sponsoring the half-time show and buying three spots.” He said Coke is taking a risk by using 60 of its 90 seconds to broadcast a previously viewed “video game” spot instead of creating a new ad designed with the Super Bowl in mind. He said that a Pepsi repeat of previous successes, as gauged by USA Today's AdMeter, could result in an embarrassment for Coke. Three new companies will be joining the competition, all a bit of a surprise, Antil said. Garmin, the maker of navigation devices for cars, will have a humorous spot, and King Pharmaceuticals will focus on the dangers of high blood pressure but might not directly promote its Altace drug. Drug companies have not done particularly well in Super Bowl consumer ratings since many believe that the category does not fit well with the fun atmosphere of the big game, he said. Another “newbie” is Salesgenie.com, which will be promoting to businesses its ability to provide sales leads. “This is another controversial area since they are not targeting the vast majority of viewers, but that small fraction of business executives who might be interested in securing sales leads,” Antil said, adding, “But other business-to-business marketers have claimed to be very happy with their results even though they know that their message has no relevance to most viewers.” Antil's Super Bowl game notes:
Article by Neil Thomas |
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