Less than a month from now, some 65 percent of all Americans (and the same proportion of Richmonders) will watch the Super Bowl – even more for the showcase of new commercials than for the game itself. This year, they’ll be seeing something different in the way of commercials, because this Super Bowl will be airing in the depths of a recession.
Bargains for advertisers
Just like Richmond electronics, DIY and other retailers, the CBS network is holding a January sale. For only the second time in its almost 44-year history, air time rates are down – from $3 million for a 30-second spot (that works out to $100,000 per second) to a mere pittance of $2.5 million. In spite of that, only 95% of the air time is sold, an anomaly this close to kickoff. CBS hopes to make up for lower unit pricing with a higher number of commercial breaks. That means more interruptions for football fans and more clutter for advertisers to get lost in.
Channel 6, the Richmond CBS affiliate, echoes this picture. While demand for local adjacencies is good, they say, availabilities still exist only 25 days before air time.
Holes in the lineup
Despite the usual secrecy and hype about the commercials themselves, we already know that multiple longtime players will leave the lineup.
Government Motors, for example, has concluded that advertising to 65 percent of the population on television is a less impactful buy than a six-page insert in Wired magazine and has shifted ad dollars accordingly. Imports Audi and Volkswagen will be coming off the bench.
Pepsi-Cola, whose spots dominated entire quarters and showcased new campaigns, has pulled their schedule, though other Pepsico brands will still be there.
Do-it-yourself creative
One Pepsico brand, Doritos, saved money by outsourcing their creative work to a consumer contest, and Volkswagen cut down on creative labor by ripping off the 1977-80 Renault LeCar campaign by translating it into German and tagging their product Das Auto.
So to what extent will the glum economic climate dampen the gross, raunchy humor that Super Bowl commercials are (in)famous for? Come back next week to find out.
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