Super Bowl XLIX is almost upon us, and there are so many interesting narratives to be excited for.
With the highly anticipated matchup looming between the New England Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks, perhaps the most overlooked aspect heading into the game lies off the field in the advertising sphere.
Regardless of who one wants to win–or if the individual is interested in the outcome at all–the Super Bowl is sure to bring an unforgettable experience. Even viewers who are apathetic about the outcome of the game have two features to look forward to: the halftime show performed by Katy Perry and Lenny Kravitz and the very unique and creative advertisements shown during the commercial breaks.
One particular trend to note with the commercials as of late is the financial aspect and its effect on the number of companies opting not to seize an advertising spot in this year’s grand finale. Costs of advertising are quickly escalating–much to the dismay of companies seeking to vigorously spread awareness of their product. The price of a 30-second ad this year is approximately $4.4 million to $4.5 million–up from around $4 million last year. Tech companies are taking a big hit, as very few will retain their advertising spot and continue participating this year.
Viewers may notice a few unfamiliar advertisements, as Wix.com and Mophie are two tech companies making their debut in this year’s Super Bowl. Wix.com is a means of more efficiently building a website. It allows users to create professional-looking sites without requiring any advanced technical skills. The site is using the power of big names to broadcast their brand, as high profile individuals such as Terrell Owens and Brett Favre are incorporated. A bit of an advertising rivalry is forming, as Wix.com competes and tries to overtake Squarespace –a company who also creates websites. Squarespace is returning for its second consecutive year in the Super Bowl and attempts to follow up on a well-received commercial from last year:
Mophie specializes in on-the-go charging for mobile devices. For this company, it is all about building awareness. In fact, the Chief Executive Officer of Mophie, Daniel Huang, plans on using the Super Bowl to become familiar with the 95 percent of Americans who have never heard of the product.
“We decided we want to tell our story to a much broader audience,” asserts Huang.
“We want consumers to know about our brand.”
GoDaddy is a privately-held Internet domain registrar and web-hosting company, and one highly distinguished by their annual Super Bowl commercial. This year, intense social media outrage over a controversial commercial has led to the company to rescind its spot in Sunday’s broadcast (which may still give it some serious publicity). The commercial features a lost dog who makes his way through very dangerous conditions alone and, eventually, returns home only to find that his owners have sold him via a website made with GoDaddy. Animal-rights groups were irate, voicing their frustrations through numerous critical social media posts. The company apologized and announced their plans to regroup, and release more appropriate material.
Other notable tech companies partaking in Super Sunday advertising are T-Mobile, Sprint, and Microsoft. These three prominent companies have big money, something that some of the others lack, which can act as a barrier. Those that are financially able to consistently hold these Super Bowl slots benefit by controlling consumer perception of the product. They are perceived as dominant. For others, purchasing advertising space is seen as an investment that could potentially bolster the brand.
This year’s Super Bowl will display the progress tech companies have made as of late. The future of tech advertisements in the Super Bowl lies in the hands of the newer, more novel companies.