If you ask someone why they tune in for the Super Bowl, they’ll often respond that they only watch for the commercials. The Super Bowl is not just a show of the athletes’ amazing abilities, it is an opportunity for advertisers to really flex their creative muscle.
However, the Super Bowl wasn’t always the showcase of capitalism that it is today. It used to simply be a football game. The best way to see this evolution is to watch for yourselves. As you review the following list, notice how the quality of the ads increase over time, and how the prices skyrocket.
- 1967 – Super Bowl I- ‘When There’s No Man Around”: Goodyear Tires
Although this game between the Green Bay Packers and the Kansas City Chiefs wasn’t advertised as the “Super Bowl,” it is largely considered the first real game between the AFC and NFL. This advertisement, featuring a seemingly helpless woman trying (and failing) to fix her flat tire certainly could hold some problems for advertisers today. For the first year, the average cost of a 30 second advertisement was over 37 thousand dollars, with an audience reach of 24 million people.
Cost per million people: about $1500
2. 1970 – Pontiac Humbler: GMC
Pretty young girls and macho guys were still prevalent in Super Bowl ads in 1970. The Pontiac Humbler commercial featured a song talking about the car, while showing images of jealous men and beautiful young ladies looking longingly at the car and the man driving it. In 1970, the average cost of a 30 second advertisement was over 72 thousand dollars, with an audience reach of 46 million people.
Cost per million people: about $1600
3. 1979 – ‘Mean’ Joe Greene: Coca-Cola
In 1979, Joe Greene, otherwise known as “Mean Joe Greene,” was the defensive tackle to beat. However, it seemed even he couldn’t resist when a hopeful young fan encouraged him to have a Coke, which softened the football giant. The “Have a Coke and have a smile” tagline at the end left both Mean Joe Greene and the audience with a smile on their faces. The cost of a 30 second ad in 1979? 222 thousand dollars, which reached an audience of almost 75 million people.
Cost per million people: about $3000
4. 1984 – Apple’s 1984: Apple
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=axSnW-ygU5g
This dystopian advertisement is widely regarded as one of the best ads of the entire century, and it premiered at Super Bowl XIX. Apple uses the timing of George Orwell novel 1984 to introduce their brand new product- the Macintosh Computer! It gives the audience a sense of wonder, while also using a classic piece of literature to show that the future is here, but it isn’t something to be feared like in the novel. The price Apple paid for 30 seconds in 1984 was about 525 thousand dollars, reaching up to 85 million viewers.
Cost per million people: about $6100
5. 1993 – Larry Bird vs. Michael Jordan: McDonalds
The comedy of Super Bowl advertisements began gaining momentum in the 90s. In this ad for McDonalds, you see Micheal Jordan and Larry Bird go head to head in a trick shot competition in order to win a delicious Big Mac. Who knew Jordan could even make a shot off of a skyscraper? 1994 was the first year a 30 second spot cost more than 1 million dollars. However, that million dollars could grant your company the eyes of 83 million people, so it may have been worth it.
Cost per million people: about $12,000
6. 1995 – Frogs: Budweiser
When you think about Super Bowl commercials, the Budweiser brand probably comes to mind. Anheuser-Busch is famous for their creative and humorous advertisements on Super Bowl Sunday, and one of their oldest and most famous involves not horses, but frogs. These 3 amphibians are shown croaking in a swamp, but their croaks aren’t simply a “ribbit.” They are pronouncing the name Budweiser- which is such a simple and effective way to promote their message. This 30 second ad in 1995 cost the company over 1 million dollars, but “Bud-weis-er” was heard by over 95 million people.
Cost per million people: about $10,500
7. 2002 – Clydesdale Respect: Budweiser
In 2002 Budweiser decided to take a different approach to their advertising after the tragedy of 9/11. In this commercial, the famous clydesdales are seen trotting across the Brooklyn Bridge and stopping in front of the city that never sleeps. Once they are next to the Statue of Liberty, they pan over to the new NYC skyline and all go down on their knees to pay their respects. Over 88 million people saw this advertisement, and it was only ever aired once. It was also featured on the Anheuser-Busch website for a year. In 2002 those who wanted 30 seconds during the Super Bowl could expect to pay 2.2 million dollars.
Cost per million people: about $25,000
8. 2008 – E-Trade Baby: E-Trade
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X4GZfvXx9Js
Ah, the E-Trade baby. After this advertisement audiences were left pondering how a baby could act like that. This initial commercial inspired an entire campaign, and brought a new awareness to the E-Trade name. The ad was so believable that some actually thought the baby was real! Companies like E-Trade shelled out almost 3 million dollars for 30 seconds in 2008, reaching a total audience of over 98 million people.
Cost per million people: about $30,000
9. 2010 – Betty White: Snickers
We all know you’re not you when you’re hungry. So does Snickers, and they brought the concept of “hanger” to life with this hilarious ad featuring the beloved Betty White. There really is something shocking about seeing the then 88 year old woman getting tackled when you watch it for the first time. The price tag for a 30 second ad in this Super Bowl was an honest 3.1 million dollars, with 111 million pairs of eyes watching.
Cost per million people: about $28,000
10. 2016 – Weiner Stampede: Heinz
This ad combines so many wonderful things. Weiner dogs, dramatic music, and people hilariously dressed up as Heinz products. It’s impossible not to smile when you see a little baby dachshund dressed up as an actual hotdog. However, these aren’t your standard Oscar Mayer Weiners- the cost for a 30 second ad in 2016 was 5 million dollars! With that price tag and 111 million people watching, advertisers had to make sure they were at the top of their game.
Cost per million people: about $45,000
- 2018 – Alexa Loses her Voice: Amazon Echo
Can you imagine Cardi B helping you with a homework question? Well, Amazon did! This 2018 ad features a variety of celebrities helping out Amazon when “Alexa” comes down with the flu (Or whatever bug products like her catch) The ad was a hit before the big game ever happened, and it reached a total of 98.2 million people. The only catch was that a 30 second ad still cost over 5 million dollars.
Cost per million people: about $51,000