Super Bowl Ad Inventory Sell Out & The Future of Commercials
The NFL Super Bowl is recognized as the highest-rated and highest-watched televised event each year in the United States. The game itself often takes a backseat to its iconic, star-studded halftime performances and highly-anticipated commercials. However, commercial advertising has been a hot button topic in advertising since streaming dominated over cable for the first time in 2022. Considering how much of a financial investment and effort it takes to produce commercials, many advertisers questioned if they were still even worth it. That is until Paramount announced Super Bowl LVIII’s commercial inventory is virtually sold out four months ahead of the 2024 event. In fact, sources estimated 85% of the 2024 Super Bowl commercial inventory was sold out back in August. This year’s sellout paced well ahead of February’s Super Bowl LVII, which did not accomplish this feat until late January 2023.
What has changed in the commercial industry?
How does the industry go from barely selling out commercial space in time to selling out four months in advance? The answer is surprisingly in streaming. 2023 saw a big rollout of password sharing lockdowns, price hikes and advertising making its way into every streaming platform. Commercials are once again becoming unavoidable to viewers unless they pay a premium price. This means advertising inventory is increasing with a much more affordable entry price and smarter data to work with. With streaming capabilities across multiple devices, viewer analytics has gotten much more detailed. Each streaming platform’s advertising tool can help advertisers get in front of the right hyper-local audience, making the most of their advertising dollars.
Should my business consider airing a commercial?
There is no doubt that digital video advertising is a powerful tool to consider using. Americans spend an average of 13 hours and 11 minutes a day using digital media. Knowing how intelligent these advertising platforms have become in recent years, businesses can feel reassured that their commercial would reach the right audience. However, commercials are not easy to produce. If your business chooses to produce a commercial, it must be well-planned and scripted with a high-quality videographer. You must consider not just the advertising cost, but also the production cost, before deciding on creating a commercial.
Tips on creating a commercial:
- Writing Your Script: The average length of a commercial is 15 to 60 seconds. That’s not a lot of time to share every detail about your business. Your commercial must be goal-oriented with a specific call-to-action.
- Planning Your Video Shoot: The biggest mistake businesses often make while planning their commercial stems from assuming people are already aware of your brand and what you offer. Commercials are your opportunity to not just list the services you offer, but to show the full customer experience you provide.
- Choosing A Platform: With virtually every streaming platform now offering an ad-friendly pricing tier on top of traditional cable, it’s difficult to know which platform to choose. The best place to start before choosing is deciding on a target audience demographic and seeing which platforms best align with your personas.
- Repurposing Content: Your commercial can be shared on all your business’s platforms! Add it to your website, YouTube, social media and emails to gain more exposure of your great work.
Katava Marketing First Round Super Bowl Commercial Staff Picks:
- Darth Vader Meets Volkswagen (2011)
- Always #LikeAGirl (2015)
- It’s A Tide Ad (2018)
- Apple 1984 (1984)
Katava Marketing has over 20 years of experience in marketing and advertising, combined with the expertise of independent school admissions office veterans. If you are looking to enhance your school’s marketing efforts, contact Katava Marketing today!