The Real Matchup: The Game vs. The Ads

At first glance, this year’s Super Bowl isn’t the sexiest match-up. There are no Mannings involved, no record-shattering offenses or undefeated teams.

I am, however, excited to watch a fellow Minnesotan in action: Larry Fitzgerald, the star wideout for the underdog Arizona Cardinals and former Vikings ball boy.

For anyone not jazzed up about Fitzgerald or a stingy Pittsburgh defense, there still are the ads.

I was surprised , but apparently the price of this year’s ads aren’t affected by a down economy, as they are going for a record $3 million for a cool 30 seconds. Oh yeah, and according to About.com, there is still ad time left to buy. In comparison, all the ad time was sold out for last year’s game three months before the game.

Companies are obviously being more cautious, but they know that if they are going to participate, they have to leave a lasting impression to get their bang for their buck. There are studies like one from Pittsburgh Business Journal that argues that buying Super Bowl ad time is a huge waste of money.

With the economic climate the way it is, with social media booming and with reports being published like the previous one, I am expecting some interesting ad campaigns this year. The Super Bowl is still a great platform to announce a campaign, but it matters more than ever what companies do to back the ads up. If every Super Bowl ad doesn’t have a social media component to their campaign, it will be a waste.

I’ve already heard word of one fun idea. It comes from Miller High Life. They have planned for one-second ads during the game that fit right in with their central theme of being “an honest beer at an honest price.”

I enjoyed visiting the site, I like the idea and will be certain to keep my eyes open for the ads during the game. If other ads don’t bring their creative thinking-caps to the table then the $3 million, like the Miller site will tell you, could be better spent elsewhere.