On January 15th, 1967, the first Super Bowl was held in Los Angeles. With little assistance and tickets considered “too expensive” -from $10 to $15, this year the entrance has reached prices running between $4,455 and $19,306. In its 56-year history, this event has become an American celebration with a global impact. Its influence has already transcended the sports field to develop a cultural, advertising, and economic effect throughout the whole planet.
Over the years, the sports competition itself hasn’t experienced significant changes, but the event and everything that happens around it has evolved drastically. It’s impossible to talk about the Super Bowl without the Halftime Show, the commercials, and all the strategy that has placed it as an event with the same importance as Thanksgiving or Christmas for Americans.
The Halftime Show tradition became relevant after Michael Jackson’s presentation in 1993, thanks to the high quality of his performance. The NFL doesn’t pay artists who perform at the Halftime Show, they’re just in charge of the production the performance requires (which can easily exceed $10 million).
However, due to the enormous level of exposure and the recognition they receive, artists who have been part of the Halftime Show claim to have earnings going from $24 million to $30 million. After the 2022 Halftime Show, its participating artist’s streams increased 250% on Spotify.
Brands like Pepsi, Gatorade, Warner Bros., Discovery, Frito Lays, M&M’s, Doritos, Heineken, Marvel, and Heinz -among many others- will pay around USD 7 million for 30 seconds of exposure. In 2021, the cost was $5.5 million and in the 50-plus years since its creation, the ad charge has increased by nearly 165%.
The massive consumption of commercials has allowed their value to increase. Only in 2023, it’s expected to reach 27% of the U.S. population. The massive consumption of commercials has allowed their value to increase and only in 2023, it’s expected to reach 27% of the country’s population. To this day, the record for the most expensive ad remains held by
Amazon, which paid $16.8 million in 2020 for a 90 second ad to introduce its voice assistant Alexa to the world. In 2022, more than 99 million people watched the show on television, exceeding 2021 viewers by 13%.
The average American is expected to spend $85 on event-related products such as food and beverages, as the cash flow in 2022 for the NFL night was $14.6 billion. This year, winners will receive $164,000 and losers $89,000. The event will be broadcasted in 34 languages and 232 countries.
This is -without a doubt- one of the most important advertising events of the year and the profits for the NFL, entrepreneurs, television networks, artists, players, and brands will also be reflected in the local economy, where millions of people will invest in goods and services.
