Second Gear: Cars.com Returning As Super Bowl Advertiser

Cars.com has bought a 60-second ad on NBC's telecast of Super Bowl XLIII that "will air in the second quarter," according to Steve McClellan of ADWEEK. The spot marks the second consecutive Super Bowl that the company will appear in, and it "will also kick off a planned $200[M] marketing campaign that will run through most of next year." The company spent the same amount on last year's campaign, calling the budget a “record high marketing investment.” NBC has "already sold most of the available spots" in the broadcast -- as of early September, 85% "of the 60 or so available spots had been sold, including a dozen for a price of $3[M] per 30 seconds." The net at the time said that the remaining 10 spots "would also carry a price tag of at least $3[M]" (ADWEEK.com, 11/7).