KANTAR MEDIA PROVIDES FULL ANALYSIS OF 2010 SUPER BOWL ADVERTISING
Highlights include record levels of commercial time and the expanded presence of short messages and smaller advertisers
New York, NY, February 8, 2010 – Kantar Media released its annual post-game analysis of Super Bowl advertising, complete with insights on this year’s new entrants, top categories and advertisers, as well as a complete log of all commercials and respective the pod position.
“In many respects, the annual Super Bowl discussion serves as a microcosm of the many issues facing advertising at the time, and this year certainly was no different,” says Mark Nesbitt, President of Kantar Media’s Intelligence sector. “ROI, broadcast versus digital campaigns, the direction of creative, the strength of the television audience were all being debated. In the final analysis, CBS sold out its inventory faster than the last time it broadcast the event in 2007, we saw the entry of some new advertisers into the game and once again consumer interest and engagement in the ads was on a par with the game itself. So if the Super Bowl is a barometer on the overall state of advertising, this year’s game certainly made a positive statement.”
A complete log of all commercials, their pod positions and actual creatives are available at: Kantar Media Super Bowl Creative Log
Record-setting Level of Ad Time
Super Bowl XLIV featured a record-setting amount of network commercial time. Between the opening kickoff and the final whistle, CBS aired 47 minutes, 50 seconds of advertising messages, almost three minutes more than the 2009 game, the previous title holder. The figures include paying sponsors, messages from the NFL and promotional plugs from CBS for its own programming. The past five games now occupy the top five spots in terms of Super Bowl ad clutter.
Network Ad Time (mm:ss)
In The Super Bowl Game
| 2010 |
47:50 |
39:25 |
8:25 |
| 2009 |
45:05 |
38:00 |
7:05 |
| 2008 |
43:30 |
35:35 |
7:55 |
| 2007 |
43:05 |
33:30 |
9:35 |
| 2006 |
44:15 |
36:55 |
7:20 |
| Source: Kantar Media |
Top Advertisers
Excluding promotional ads aired by CBS and the NFL, 41 different companies aired a total of 66 messages within the game. The top four advertisers in terms of total ad time were Anheuser-Busch InBev, Hyundai, Coca-Cola and PepsiCo. This group accounted for 25 percent of the total paid ad time.
Top Advertisers In 2010 Super Bowl Game
| Anheuser-Busch InBev |
5:30 |
9 |
| Hyundai Corp. |
2:30 |
4 |
| Coca-Cola Co. |
2:00 |
2 |
| PepsiCo Inc. |
2:00 |
4 |
| Source: Kantar Media |
First-Time Advertisers
Of the 41 companies that ran messages in the game, 22 percent were first-time Super Bowl advertisers. This proportion was higher than 2009 but in line with the levels of prior years.
NUMBER OF SUPER BOWL ADVERTISERS BY YEAR
| All Advertisers |
32 |
30 |
32 |
30 |
41 |
| First-Timers - # |
8 |
7 |
7 |
5 |
9 |
| First-Timers - % |
25% |
23% |
22% |
17% |
22% |
| Source: Kantar Media |
The 2010 all-rookie lineup was Electronic Arts; Focus on the Family; Google, HomeAway.com; kgb (Knowledge Generation Bureau); Monsanto, Papa John’s; Skechers USA and Qualcomm’s Flo TV service.
In addition, several other marketers returned to the Super Bowl after a long hiatus. These include the Dockers brand from Levi Strauss (last advertised in 2002); Dr. Pepper (2001); and the U.S. Census Bureau (2000).
More :15 Second Ads
Given the expensive price of Super Bowl ads and lingering concerns about the health of the consumer economy, some marketers apparently opted for frugality and ran 15 second messages in the game. Although :30 units remained the dominant form, short-length spots reached their highest level since the 2002 game.
15 Second Ads In The Super Bowl
| :15 Spots - # |
5 |
2 |
2 |
0 |
7 |
| :15 Spots - % |
7.4% |
3.4% |
3.5% |
0.0% |
10.6% |
Note: Figures are based on paid ads only and exclude promotional spots from CBS and the NFL Source: Kantar Media |
Smaller Advertisers Crash the Party
The recent trend of smaller, less-established marketers accounting for more of the Super Bowl ad time continued in 2010. The Top 200 advertisers, which account for more than one-half of all U.S. ad spend, are a useful reference point for analyzing the marketer lineup. 63 percent of the companies in the 2010 game fall outside of the Top 200, the highest level in the past decade – and quite probably the highest for any Super Bowl.
Smaller Advertisers In The Super Bowl
| All Advertisers |
100% |
100% |
100% |
100% |
100% |
100% |
| Top 200 |
65% |
56% |
55% |
56% |
42% |
37% |
| Ex-Top 200 |
35% |
44% |
45% |
44% |
58% |
63% |
| Source: Kantar Media |
Top Categories
Dot-coms edged out auto manufacturers and beer as the leading Super Bowl ad category. Eight different dot-com companies aired in-game ads, a comparable number versus recent years. However, the total amount of air time was lower than 2009.
Reflecting the recent uptick in automotive advertising, car manufacturers had a strong presence with Audi, Chrysler, Hyundai, Kia, Honda and Volkswagen combining for 5:30 mm:ss of ad time.
The exclusive beer category sponsor was Anheuser-Busch InBev. It ran 5:30 mm:ss of messages for the Budweiser, Bud Lite and Michelob franchises.
Technology cracked the Top Five list behind ads for Flo TV, Intel processors and Vizio’s internet-enabled TV sets.
Motion pictures had their smallest footprint in at least a decade. Hollywood has been attracted to the Super Bowl as a promotional platform to build awareness for upcoming releases and in 2009 movies were the dominant category with 7 minutes of ad time. This year, only six films from four studios (CBS Films, Disney, Paramount and Universal) had commercials and total air time was a meager 2:45 mm:ss.
Top 5 Advertising Categories In 2010 Super Bowl Game
(ranked by amount of ad time)
| Product Category |
# Unique Products |
Ad Time (mm:ss) |
|
# Unique Products |
Ad Time (mm:ss) |
| Dot-coms |
8 |
5:45 |
|
9 |
7:00 |
| Auto Manufacturers |
6 |
5:30 |
|
5 |
3:00 |
| Beer |
4 |
5:30 |
|
3 |
4:30 |
| Technology |
3 |
3:00 |
|
1 |
0:30 |
| Motion Pictures |
6 |
2:45 |
|
9 |
7:00 |
| Source: Kantar Media |
About Kantar Media
Established in more than in 50 countries, Kantar Media enables exploration of multimedia momentum through analysis of print, radio, TV, internet, social media, and outdoors worldwide. Kantar Media offers a full range of media insights and audience measurement services through its global business sectors – Intelligence, Audiences and TGI & Custom. Combining the deepest expertise in the industry, Kantar Media tracks more than 3 million brands and delivers insights to more than 22,000 customers around the world. (www.KantarMediaNA.com).
About Kantar
Kantar is one of the world's largest insight, information and consultancy networks. By uniting the diverse talents of its 13 specialist companies, the group aims to become the pre-eminent provider of compelling and inspirational insights for the global business community. Its 26,500 employees work across 95 countries and across the whole spectrum of research and consultancy disciplines, enabling the group to offer clients business insights at each and every point of the consumer cycle. The group’s services are employed by over half of the Fortune Top 500 companies.
For further information, please visit us at www.Kantar.com |