While Super Bowl XLVII is sure to have plenty excitement as brothers John (Baltimore Ravens) and Jim (San Francisco 49ers) go up against each other for the championship (not to mention all the celebrity performers and parties, etc), one thing it won’t have are any commercials from General Motors.
According to Chief Marketing Officer, Joel Ewanick, GM has decided to sit this one out, despite the fact that it is introducing 20 new models this year, including 13 Chevys.
“It just isn’t worth the high cost,” he stated, noting that CBS is charging an average of $3.7 million to $3.8 million for a 30-second spot during the Game.*
Instead, the automaker has opted to air its commercials during CBS’s pre-game programming Feb. 3, when it will have four spots for Chevrolet.
While GM is sitting out Ford Motor Co. is using the 2013 Super Bowl broadcast as part of a marketing effort to revive its Lincoln luxury brand. Ford will introduce a 60- second Lincoln spot during the game. Audi, Chrysler, Hyundai, Kia, Lincoln, Mercedes-Benz, Toyota and Volkswagen are scheduled to air ads during the game telecast, according to Ad Age.
Although marketing experts continue to debate whether Super Bowl car ads really drive up sales, most agree that they do play a value part in increasing brand recognition among the general public. Still, while Volkswagen’s highly creative ad featuring a pint-sized Darth Vader attempting to “use the Force” to start his parents’ car was replayed more than 55 million times on the internet, how many viewers remember that the car in the driveway was a Passat.
*Ad Age reported that the average cost of a 60-second commercial on last year's Super Bowl was $7 million, according to NBC, which broadcast the game and said it drew 111.3 million viewers, the most in U.S. television history.
Comments