Someone Should Tell Clients That Super Bowl Ads Aren't Worth the Money

Or you could just direct them toward this study, published in AdAge. Its point is pretty simple: while Super Bowl ads do spark conversations, they’re more about entertainment value than anything else—and a strong majority do not “increase purchase intent” at all.

One researcher tells AdAge that “brand association with Super Bowl commercials is much lower than you’d get with a typical buy”, because viewers remember the commercial itself rather than the product within. Car spots are particularly ineffective because “they all run together in people’s minds”—and can we get a “hell yes” here? The phrases “no money down” and “anti-lock brakes” are all but meaningless to us now.

Jim Horton takes things a step further on the Online Public Relations Thoughts blog, writing that the study’s findings reaffirm the value of PR:

“What is irksome is that the amounts spent for a minutes would fund a major PR campaign and gain as much or more awareness...