Super Bowl Automotive Advertising Makes A Strong Comeback

Super Bowl Sunday isn’t just the biggest day of the year for NFL football players and fans–it’s also a huge event for the advertising industry. Many companies debut expensive new ads during the game–some produced especially for the event. After a slow year in 2010 the advertising industry is poised to make a huge comeback at Super Bowl XLV in Dallas on February 6. A number of companies that sat out the Super Bowl last year are back in the mix, and several have bought multiple ad spots during the game.

The most notable returnee to the Super Bowl advertising party is undoubtedly US car makers who have seen their fortunes improve of late after a couple of disastrous years.  At least 8 major car companies will be advertising during the game, with some buying more than one spot.  George Cook is a former executive at Ford and currently a professor of business at the University of Rochester:        

    “Any way you cut it, it’s an auto extravaganza. It’s about assuring the American car buyer that the industry has returned. It’s about winning back trust.”
      
General Motors was left on the sidelines during the past two Super Bowls as they were awash in red ink.  This year, they’re back with a vengeance with 5 spots.  Joel Ewanick, GM’s global chief marketing officer, said it was an opportunity to reach a broad audience in a competitive market:  

“We think it’s a great opportunity given where we’ve been, how competitive the market is right now. We wanted to start the new year very strong, very aggressive.”
      
One company that won’t be in the Super Bowl mix is Ford, who hasn’t advertised in the game since 2006.  They will air a spot during the pregame show.  Matt Van Dyke, Ford’s Director of US Marketing Communication, provided this cryptic explanation:        

    “For us, it’s go left when others are going right.”        

For any company, Super Bowl advertising is a high stakes gamble.  After the 2010 game drew the largest audience in history, Fox was in a position to demand a premium for Super Bowl XLV.  Advertisers will pay an estimated $2.8 million and $3 million for 30-second spots in this year’s Super Bowl–that translates to roughly $100,000 each second for advertising.