Brands Had to Pay More for Ads on Social During Super Bowl 56

As more brands lean on social for messaging during the big game, advertising across the board on platforms was more expensive in 2022. The price for social ads on platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Snap and TikTok were 26% higher than in 2021, according to paid social advertising platform StitcherAds. The average cost per one thousand impressions (CPMs) in 2022 on the day of the Super Bowl was $12.44. That's a 50% increase from 2020. But not all platforms are created equal. CPMs on TikTok soared 64% on Super Bowl Sunday compared to the average levels for the first two weeks of February, according to one media buyer, while CPMs actually declined 1% on Facebook and Instagram. During the week leading up to the Super Bowl, CPMs for Meta grew slower than for the platforms overall, estimated Tom Olivieri, group director of creative services at performance marketing agency WITHIN, possibly because it's a more mature—so less volatile—platform. TikTok declined to comment, while Meta did not respond to requests for comment. CPMs fluctuate for a variety of reasons. While it's likely that platform ad rates increase over time, as platforms' creative and attribution features improve, there are other social marketing trends that are more specific to this year's big game. Aside from price hikes, below are key trends from Super Bowl 56's social advertising push. Demand and CPMs spike on TikTok It’s no secret that TikTok has a huge audience. Campaigns for TurboTax and Doritos on TikTok racked up 2.9 billion views and 3.9 billion views, respectively, compared to the 112.3 million people who viewed the game across linear and streaming TV platforms. TikTok saw the biggest percentage hikes in CPMs—this could be for a variety of factors. For instance, Meta’s advertising ecosystem is more mature and less susceptible to day-to-day fluctuations, said Robert Pearsall, managing director of social activation at Omnicom Media Group. On TikTok, demand likely outpaced inventory as more brands rushed to the platform for the first time to launch paid media campaigns, he added. Demand also likely spiked on TikTok as advertisers sought to appeal to younger demographics since the Super Bowl itself—with its halftime show lineup of '90s stars—seemed decidedly not Gen Z, Olivieri said. “This was definitely the Gen X/older millennial bowl,” he added. Data, not just awareness As the tentpole TV event of the year, Super Bowl campaigns typically focus on upper-funnel objectives to make the most of the massive audiences. This year, brands were equally interested in launching sweepstakes and promos in exchange for users’ first-party data, said Olivieri. “As privacy becomes more of an issue … people are doing more sweepstakes,” he said. “The Super Bowl is [not] a pure awareness play.” For example, Molson Coors’ Miller64 beer brand ran a social campaign that directed consumers to a poll to highlight the beer’s low-calorie count. Those who got the question right got an opportunity to win a free six-pack, provided they give their email addresses. Competing tentpole events For the first time in roughly 20 years, the Super Bowl fell the same week as Valentine’s Day, forcing some brands to choose which event they would spend their marketing budgets on, Olivieri said. Super Bowl LVI Ad Tracker: Updates on All the 2022 Commercials The Big Game drives conversation and attention among a large audience. Buyers like Pearsall said that it remains a focus for social advertisers, despite the decline in other linear TV events, like the Oscars. And even compared to big events that are not tied to TV, for advertisers on any platform, the Super Bowl has a special draw because it’s the one day people don’t skip ads. “People … are actively seeking out advertising,” Olivieri said.