Why Super Bowl Advertisers Are Dropping The Ball

Industry leader offers insights on how advertisers are wasting millions on Super Bowl ads

The Super Bowl is the advertising industry’s biggest day of the year, and your audience will be asking the question: Do those big budget ads really work or are companies dropping the ball when it comes to how they are spending their marketing dollars?

For a unique perspective on your Super Bowl advertising analysis, national advertising expert Michelle Cardinal, group president of the largest independently-owned direct response advertising agency in the nation, shares her thoughts on the downfalls of the Super Bowl mega ad spend approach.

Is there any value to Super Bowl ads, or are they just entertainment and not really marketing?
Cardinal: Depending on the category, I think there is a value for some categories like beverages, sports drinks, and high-end luxury items, like cars, that already spend large amounts of media dollars for awareness campaigns. That said, many Super Bowl advertisers go to great efforts to produce 30-second spots that viewers often only see once, with the primary goal to win an award or be touted in postgame “advertising industry” reviews. The potential value of a Super Bowl campaign would go up exponentially if the advertiser concentrated on driving response or engagement through something measurable like special offers, club membership and/or trials.

Why do you think Super Bowl ads are ineffective?
Cardinal: The high cost of the ad in conjunction with all the advertising clutter makes this investment extremely risky, considering all the other (measurable) marketing options available to advertisers.

What would be a better way for these national brands to spend their marketing dollars to get the greatest return?
Cardinal: I’ve often been asked by many of my direct response clients if they should consider buying a Super Bowl spot. My answer is most always a resounding “no.” Reason being, the high cost of a Super Bowl ad would never generate an acceptable ROI. Instead, $3 million spent effectively on a combination national/local television media buy would always yield a much more favorable cost per response or cost per acquisition (more response bang for the buck).