Even if you didn’t grow up a sports fan, you still watched the Super Bowl for its advertisements and maybe even the halftime show. You knew that the ads you saw were being released for the very first time. It’s also one of the only sporting events in which people don’t leave the room during commercials (unless they need to refill) because they are what many people look forward to seeing.
This year–like the past several years–that feeling of being surprised has disappeared. I guess it was only a matter of time, as companies have released their ads weeks prior to the game, with the hopes of increasing exposure.
As I think about it, it is a smart move for companies. Since companies are spending an average of $4.8 million plus production costs for a 30-second commercial, it makes sense the organization would want to extend the buzz to make the investment worthwhile. It could make a one-day campaign turn into a 10-day campaign. Also, releasing early gives the company a chance to break through some of the clutter.
It will be interesting to see how pre-releasing these ads will affect viewership numbers during the game on Sunday.
Congressman Lewis has spent most of his life fighting for civil rights, and he is the only living “Big Six” leader of the African-American Civil Rights Movement, according to Wikipedia.