SUPER BOWL Ads face pressure to perform

A bad Super Bowl commercial can hurt a company because of the scrutiny given to the ads.
CHICAGO TRIBUNE
With budgets tight as a drum and the chances of seeing a significant return on investment a crap shoot in an uncertain economy, a feeling of familiarity is permeating the big advertisers for the Super Bowl XXXVII broadcast.
Network executives at ABC, which has been reporting strong ad sales for the Jan. 26 telecast, say most of the commercial time offered will be taken by advertisers in such traditional categories as automobiles and soft drinks.
The bottom line, according to media buyers, is that few companies will try advertising during the big game for the first time. Instead, much of the estimated $200 million of available airtime is being bought by big advertisers that have been there before.
The reasons are varied, media and advertising executives say. With the economy still shaky, many companies think it's too risky to parcel out a big portion of their ad budgets on one event.
Another reason making newcomers think twice is price. The cost for a 30-second spot on the ABC telecast is going as high as $2.2 million, compared with a top price of about $1.9 million in the 2002 Super Bowl. Some companies can't -- or won't -- justify paying the nearly 16 percent price increase.
All eyes on companies
Increasingly, however, others simply fear that with Super Bowl advertising becoming such a high-profile event, not having a surefire creative hit can backfire in the arena of public and press opinion. Fewer companies are willing to risk the chance that their ad will bomb before millions of eyeballs.
"The Super Bowl has emerged as a highly scrutinized, highly critical advertising event," said Bill Katz, president and chief executive of New York-based advertising agency BBDO. That agency arguably understands the Super Bowl formula the best, with clients such as Pepsi and Visa that advertise every year.
ABC has sold more than 85 percent of its advertising inventory for the game, including the entire first half.