According to The Wall Street Journal, brands paid approximately US$7 million (AU$10.7 million) for their 30-second ads to air during this yearโs Super Bowl LVIII โ a significant hike compared to the US$42,000 (AU$65,000) they wouldโve been forced to shell out for the inaugural Super Bowl in 1967. Even adjusted for inflation.
Considering how the clash between defending champions, Kansas City Chiefs, and unlikely Brock Purdy-led underdogs, San Francisco 49ers, has been projected to break viewership records thanks to the Taylor Swift/Travis Kelce effect, US$7 million (AU$10.7 million) could very well be a bargain. But the real question isโฆhave they made the most out of their time?
Check out the highs and lows of this yearโs Super Bowl ads below.
Super Bowl LVIII Ads (2024): The Yays & Nays
The Bestโฆ
Dunkinโ Donuts
Piggybacking off last yearโs tongue-in-cheek effort wherein Jennifer Lopez visited her husband Ben Affleck during his day gig at a Dunkinโ Donuts drive-thru, Sadfleckโข flips the script in 2024 with a star-studded rebuttal.
Recruiting everyone from a reluctant Matt Damon and Jack Harlow to retired GOAT quarterback Tom Brady, the self-styled โDunKingsโ crash J-Loโs studio session. Its charm lies in its self-awareness: they know theyโre being corny and theyโre leaning into it. A+.
BMW
Clever premise, simple yet effective execution. Thereโs only one Christopher Walken and thereโs only one BMW. Thereโs also a cameo from Super Bowl LVIII Half-Time Show star Usher.
Squarespace
Legendary director Martin Scorsese is no stranger to taking the spotlight for a quick ad (his American Express promo is still one of our all-time favourites). And he plays his role perfectly as aliens make contact with Earth, once again proving heโs just as effective in front of the camera as he is behind it.
BetMGM
Vince Vaughn barring Tom Brady from a sports betting service because heโs โwon too muchโ shouldnโt be as amusing as it is. And yet here we are. Bradyโs indignant protests and ham-fisted attempt at sneaking through the proverbial gates only make the entire concept that much funnier.
Side note: we donโt see enough of Wayne Gretzky these days.
Michelob ULTRA
For the simple reason that we got to see Lionel Messi play more than the poor bastards over in Hong Kong did last week.
โฆ And The Worst
Starry
Maybe Iโm showing my ageโฆ but I donโt care for Ice Spice and wish sheโd fade into cultural obscurity. I also donโt care for this nothing Super Bowl ad spot.
Booking.com
Itโs a funny premise trapped in an unfunny commercialโs body. Way to squander one of televisionโs greatest ensemble comedy casts.
Mountain Dew
Meh. Points for the Parks & Recs reunion, though.
Microsoft
An anaemic attempt at humanising the AI revolution. Sorry, Microsoft. It still feels cold, impersonal, sterile, with hints of the looming dystopia weโll soon be forced to endure.
Uber Eats
Much like the lingering presence of Friends within modern culture, the Donโt Forget Uber Eats Super Bowl LVIII ad overstays its welcome with an extremely thin punchline.
How many commercials are there during the Super Bowl?
There are typically between 80 and 100 commercials during the Super Bowl, some of which are released (or even leaked) in advance of the game.
According to Statista, that comes to approximately 50 minutes of commercials in total. As you can imagine, itโs an incredibly lucrative venture for networks.
How much does a Super Bowl ad cost?
Hereโs how Super Bowl ads have been priced over the years as per SuperBowl-ads.com (source: Nielsen Media Research).
| Year | Price For 30-second Super Bowl Commercial (USD) |
|---|---|
| 1967 | $37,500 (NBC) | $42,500 (CBS) |
| 1968 | $54,500 |
| 1969 | $55,000 |
| 1970 | $78,200 |
| 1971 | $72,500 |
| 1972 | $86,100 |
| 1973 | $88,100 |
| 1974 | $103,500 |
| 1975 | $107,000 |
| 1976 | $110,000 |
| 1977 | $125,000 |
| 1978 | $162,300 |
| 1979 | $185,000 |
| 1980 | $222,000 |
| 1981 | $275,000 |
| 1982 | $324,300 |
| 1983 | $400,000 |
| 1984 | $368,200 |
| 1985 | $525,000 |
| 1986 | $550,000 |
| 1987 | $600,000 |
| 1988 | $645,500 |
| 1989 | $675,500 |
| 1990 | $700,400 |
| 1991 | $800,000 |
| 1992 | $850,000 |
| 1993 | $850,000 |
| 1994 | $900,000 |
| 1995 | $1,150,000 |
| 1996 | $1,085,000 |
| 1997 | $1,200,000 |
| 1998 | $1,291,100 |
| 1999 | $1,600,000 |
| 2000 | $2,100,000 |
| 2001 | $2,200,000 |
| 2002 | $2,200,000 |
| 2003 | $2,200,000 |
| 2004 | $2,302,200 |
| 2005 | $2,400,000 |
| 2006 | $2,500,000 |
| 2007 | $2,385,365 |
| 2008 | $2,699,963 |
| 2009 | $2,999,960 |
| 2010 | $2,954,010 |
| 2011 | $3,100,000 |
| 2012 | $3,500,000 |
| 2013 | $3,800,000 |
| 2014 | $4,000,000 |
| 2015 | $4,250,000 |
| 2016 | $4,500,000 |
| 2017 | $5,000,000 |
| 2018 | $5,200,000 |
| 2019 | $5,300,000 |
| 2020 | $5,600,000 |
| 2021 | $5,500,000 |
| 2022 | $6,500,000 |
| 2023 | $7,000,000 |
Why are Super Bowl ads so expensive?
Simply put: viewers. And lots of โem. Meaning one of the biggest marketing opportunities in history, which is why youโll see countless big-name brands like McDonaldโs and Doritos just throw money at the sports event without question.
The Super Bowl is broadcast across 225 stations in more than 180 countries. The event is also streamed live on around 450 radio stations, so a brand is pretty much guaranteed the largest captive audience they can possibly ask for.
In the past, brands like Wendyโs, Budweiser, and GoDaddy have benefited greatly from advertising at the Super Bowl, so itโs perfectly reasonable that brands would want to leverage the big dance to make big announcements, refresh their messaging, introduce new products, or even just remind people they have cash to court celebrity appearances.
The most-watched Super Bowl of all time was Super Bowl LVII in 2023 when the Kansa City Chiefs faced off against the Philadelphia Eagles to 115 million viewers in the US alone. Serious numbers by any measure.
