If you don’t have the cash to plunk down $5.6 million for an ad during the Super Bowl, you’re not alone. According to folks who keep tabs on such things, the price of the average Super Bowl ad has doubled in just the last ten years. At a price point like that, it’s nowhere near what an “average” company could afford. Sure, there are 100 million people watching, but that’s a pretty steep entry fee.
The good news is, you don’t have to spend — or even have — that kind of capital to make an impression on the audience that matters most to you. We took the liberty of doing the math comparing brand recall and consumer impressions between a Super Bowl TV ad, and that of branded merchandise.
Market research company Evaluate Criteria surveyed TV viewers just an hour after last years game and here’s what they found: of the 69% who watched Super Bowl LIII, 50% recalled the Pepsi ad, 49% remembered the Bud Light, and 49% recalled the Budweiser ad. Doritos at 48%, M&M’s at 37%, and Stella Artois at 35% rounded out the top six, with Avocados from Mexico at 33%, Burger King at 30%, Amazon at 30%, and Turbo Tax at 29% not far behind. A closer study revealed more of the story:
- Roughly 35% of the American TV audience, or about 100 million viewers, watch at least 6 minutes of the Super Bowl.
- 10% of consumers remember the average Super Bowl ad and know the brand being advertised.
- 33% of consumers can remember seeing a typical Super Bowl commercial in the first place.
- 80% of Super Bowl commercials fail to change consumer opinions/intentions regarding a brand.
Here’s how branded merchandise stacks up:
- 89% of consumers received a promotional product in the last six months. (Yes, that includes YOUR customers.)
- 88% of those who did, say they remember the brand or advertiser
- 79% researched that brand
- 83% say they are likely to do business with that brand
There’s plenty of cache in having your brand broadcast in front of the single, largest one-day television audience. But if you’re trying to make an impression that lasts, can generate real marketing results, and even a “thank you” from a client, the numbers make the case that branded merchandise is the clear winner.
Oh, and in the off chance you do have Super Bowl TV ad kind of money, here’s some more quick math: With your $5.6 million, we can create about 1.12 million t-shirts. The average tee garners about 196 impressions. At $5 per shirt, that would net over 1,337,280,000 impressions! Holy wow!