CBS Has Super Bowl Ad Slots Virtually Sold Out; Original Gildan Spot Rejected

With Super Bowl XLVII one month away, CBS Exec VP/Sports Sales & Marketing John Bogusz said that the net "has two 30-second Super Bowl ad slots left to sell -- and those could be gone at any moment," according to Bruce Horovitz of USA TODAY. Bogusz said, "We're very, very close to being sold out." Moreover, CBS, with record rates of up to $3.8M per 30-second spot, will "post record Super Bowl ad sales revenue for the game." This will be the first Super Bowl that "includes three commercials that each will be longer than one minute." CBS will not "name the advertisers, but Chrysler has aired long-form ads in the past two Super Bowls." Even with the game still a month away, many advertisers "are well into marketing mode." SodaStream, which sells home soft-drink-making machines, will "air its first Super Bowl spot to get consumers more familiar with its products." Gildan USA also is "making its first Super Bowl appearance in a racy spot targeting Millennials." Bogusz said that Super Bowl commercials must be "approved by network censors, and more than one has been sent back by CBS for re-editing." Bogusz "declined to name" those advertisers. However, Gildan Retail VP/Marketing & Merchandise Rob Packard conceded that the company's spot "was returned." He said that the net "felt that the ad, which features a woman in her boyfriend's T-shirt, showed a bit 'too much leg'" (USA TODAY, 1/2). In the Money section of yesterday's edition of USA TODAY, the paper ran a full-page ad touting its Ad Meter program, which it described as "the ultimate commercial showdown," and will let fans "get in on the most influential ad event" by rating commercials that run during the Super Bowl (THE DAILY).

DESTINY'S VIRAL CHILD: MARKETING DAILY's Steve Smith reported in a promotional run-up to singer Beyonce's Super Bowl halftime performance, Pepsi is "asking fans to snap and upload images of themselves in a series of specific poses that will be used in the on-air intro video as the singing star takes to center field." The mobile-optimized Pepsi.com/halftime site is "rolling out a series of photo poses until Jan. 19." The poses "include head bopping, feet tapping, and hip shaking." The images "can be uploaded with the accompanying #PepsiHalftime hashtag to also be entered in a contest that will send 50 winners to the live Super Bowl performance in New Orleans where they also will be part of dress rehearsals and an on-field dance team." Pepsi "started promoting the effort last weekend on Times Square billboards" (MEDIAPOST.com, 1/2).