By Jay Bemis | Advertising Systems Inc.
More of the Clydesdales, a bright-blue drink, M&Ms and a mustachioed man: These are among the ingredients that the food and beverage industry are mixing for TV ad watchers when Super Bowl LVIII kicks off Feb. 11 in Las Vegas.
CBS, which is airing the game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers, has yet to say how much spots for advertisers might cost this year, but last year’s Super Bowl on Fox netted more than $7 million for some 30-second ad slots, according to Adweek. That game reached more than 115 million people.
This year’s game, meanwhile, may well be watched by more people: It comes at a time when television audiences for the first three rounds of the NFL playoffs were the highest on record, going back to 1988.
The first three weekends of this postseason have averaged 38.5 million viewers on television and digital platforms, a 9% increase over last year, The Associated Press reported this week, citing league and Nielsen figures.
The Chiefs’ 17-10 win over the Baltimore Ravens last Sunday averaged 55.47 million viewers on CBS, making it the most-watched AFC Championship Game ever, the AP said. The previous mark was 54.85 million when the Pittsburgh Steelers beat the New York Jets to advance to the Super Bowl in the 2010 season.
Anheuser-Busch, PepsiCo Serving Up the Drinks
Beer giant Anheuser-Busch hopes it can boost lagging Bud Light sales with some of the ads it plans for this year’s big game. The company ruffled some feathers this past year when it partnered with transgender activist Dylan Mulvaney in a social media post, and decreased sales of Bud Light quickly followed.
The company also will feature longtime product Budweiser — presumably with its iconic Clydesdales for whom last year’s Super Bowl viewers clamored for “more”— and Michelob Ultra.
Anheuser-Busch will air about 2 1/2 minutes of advertising time during this year’s Super Bowl commercial breaks, which equates to roughly $17.5 million in advertising costs, the Washington Examiner has reported.
“The Super Bowl is advertising’s biggest moment, and our goal is to once again captivate our audience when the world is watching,” said Kyle Norrington, Anheuser-Busch chief commercial officer.
For those who don’t imbibe, or perhaps are continuing their dry January efforts, there will be a Mountain Dew Baja Blast commercial to anticipate. The bright-blue, tropical-flavored soft drink will make its first-ever onscreen appearance during Super Bowl LVIII, in celebration of its 20th birthday, ABC News says.
PepsiCo is calling the occasion “Bajaversary” — it’s giving fans a chance to buy the popular beverage in stores nationwide for the first time ever outside of Taco Bell. Mountain Dew’s Baja Blast and Baja Blast Zero Sugar will be available on store shelves soon.
M&Ms, Pringles Are Bringing On the Treats
Candy king M&M’s will enlist former NFL stars Dan Marino, Terrell Owens and Bruce Smith in its Super Bowl ad campaign. The trio are among those “almost champions” who just missed earning a Super Bowl ring in their respective Super Bowl appearances.
A recently released teaser shows beloved M&M’s characters providing comfort to Marino, Owens and Smith, while also introducing them to an Almost Champions Ring of Comfort — a 14K gold ring adorned with real diamonds made in a specialized lab from M&M’S peanut butter candies.
Says Marino of the “Almost Champions” spot: “The M&M’S Super Bowl campaign highlights the essence of sportsmanship for me — celebrating all players for the endless, demanding effort they put into their craft while enjoying the fun of the game.”
Pringles, meanwhile, has dipped into the social marketing and influencer world by producing a Super Bowl LVIII commercial that will feature Chris Pratt and his bold mustache.
After all, the actor in such movies as “Guardians of the Galaxy” and the NBC sitcom “Parks and Recreation” does bear an “uncanny resemblance,” as the brand calls it, to the mustachioed icon it features on its products.
While details of the full spot are few, Pringles has teased it with pictures of a mustache on Instagram and polled followers on social media to guess as to whom the upper lip belongs. The brand says it chose Pratt, who has been named as one of Time’s 100 most influential people, for the Super Bowl spot because of his “playful and organic connection with his fans.”
And Pringles also offered this social-media reveal: Pratt’s favorite flavor is Pringles Salt & Vinegar.
Want to see some of the Super Bowl ad teasers mentioned here, along with others? ABC, “Good Morning America” and You Tube have all banded together to show you here.
