Scoring the Best Super Bowl Ad Placement Is Almost as Hard as Winning the Big Game

With a $5 million-plus investment at stake, brands and media buyers don't want to fumble

Last May, Fox and the NFL had a big surprise for advertisers considering buying a spot in Super Bowl LIV. The companies said they would be reducing the number of ad breaks in each quarter of Sunday’s championship game from five to four, in order to speed up pacing and improve the viewing experience. The new format—which mirrors that of regular season NFL games, consolidating the same number of in-game spots into four fewer ad pods—resulted in a contraction of premium inventory: namely, the coveted A or Z positions (referring to the first and last ads of each pod).

Buyers sprang into action.

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This story first appeared in the Jan. 27, 2020, issue of Adweek magazine. Click here to subscribe.