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The changing looks of Super Bowl advertising

Over the past 20 years, Super Bowl viewers have gone from being inundated with food and beverage commercials to cars and tech, according to SportsBusiness Journal analysis of Kantar Media data. From 1995-98, Pepsi’s sodas and snacks made up the biggest share of ad time during the game. From 2002-06, Anheuser-Busch dominated the breaks.  But since 2010, the auto industry has become the king of the commercials, and last year the tech category made up more than food, beverage and beer combined.

Here’s how key categories stacked up last year, in terms of the percentage of overall Super Bowl ad time.

WORTH NOTING:

Biggest Super Bowl ad spenders 1995-2015 (millions)

Advertiser Money spent (millions)
Anheuser-Busch $467.6
Pepsi $292.2
Fiat Chrysler $150.8
General Motors $128.9
Coca-Cola $117.5
Toyota $82.2
Universal Pictures $92.8
Paramount Pictures $64.5
GoDaddy.com $60.9
Walt Disney Pictures $54.5

Source: SportsBusiness Journal analysis of Kantar Media data


In 2010, the automotive category accounted for 41 percent of all ad spending during the game, the biggest share of any category in the 21-year history of Kantar’s tracking.

The beer category’s biggest share came in 2003, when 19 percent of all commercials were from Anheuser-Busch.

Movie makers made up nearly 20 percent of the ads during the 2009 game, that category’s highwater mark. Sony, Walt Disney, Universal and Paramount each touted upcoming films.

Fiat Chrysler has led the automotive category over the past six Super Bowls, spending $140.6 million to promote Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and Maserati during that span. Microsoft, an NFL partner, led the tech category in last year’s game with two 60-second spots, propelling that sector’s growth.

Source: Kantar Media


Past winners of the USA Today Ad Meter

Pepsi and Budweiser have dominated the USA Today Ad Meter for Super Bowl advertisements since the measurement was started in 1989. Budweiser and Bud Light have combined for 14 wins, while Pepsi and Diet Pepsi spots account for six wins, although none since 1998. Surprisingly, the iconic Budweiser frogs made their Super Bowl debut in 1995, but the commercial finished only ninth in that year’s meter.

Year Brand, title Agency
1989 American Express, “Saturday Night Live” Ogilvy & Mather
1990 Nike, “Announcers and athletes” Wieden+Kennedy
1991 Diet Pepsi, “Ray Charles and the Uh-Huh Girls” BBDO New York
1992 Nike, “Michael Jordan/Bugs Bunny” Wieden+Kennedy
1993 McDonald’s, “Jordan, Bird shoot hoops” Leo Burnett, Chicago
1994 Pepsi, “A chimp experiment goes awry” BBDO New York
1995 Pepsi, “Boy gets sucked into Pepsi bottle” BBDO New York
1996 Pepsi, “Coke driver nabs Pepsi” BBDO New York
1997 Pepsi, “Pepsi bears dance to Village People tune” BBDO New York
1998 Pepsi, “Goose” BBDO New York
1999 Budweiser, “Dalmatians get different jobs” DDB Chicago
2000 Budweiser, “Rex the dog recalls worst day” DDB Chicago
2001 Bud Light, “Cedric’s dream date goes awry” DDB Chicago
2002 Bud Light, “Romantic evening goes awry with satin sheets” DDB Chicago
2003 Budweiser, “Football-playing Clydesdales turn to zebra referee to review call on replay” DDB Chicago
2004 Bud Light, “Owners demonstrate how their dogs fetch
Bud Light”
DDB Chicago
2005 Bud Light, “Pilot jumps out of plane for six-pack of Bud Light after skydiver refuses” DDB Chicago
2006 Bud Light, “A secret fridge stocks Bud Light” DDB Chicago
2007 Budweiser, “Crabs worship Bud ice chest” DDB Chicago
2008 Budweiser, “Dalmatian trains Clydesdale to make beer wagon team” DDB Chicago
2009 Doritos, “Crystal ball sees free Doritos” Consumer generated, with an assist from Goodby, Silverstein & Partners
2010 Snickers, “Octogenarian actors Betty White and Abe Vigoda play in a casual football game” BBDO New York
2011 (tie) Bud Light, “Dog sitter puts dogs to work”; Doritos, “Pug
attack: Dog’s revenge for Doritos teasing”
Bud Light: DDB Chicago; Doritos: Goodby, Silverstein & Partners
2012 Doritos, “Man’s Best Friend: Dog bribes cat owner” Goodby, Silverstein & Partners
2013 Budweiser, “Horse and trainer reunited” Anomaly
2014 Budweiser, “Puppy Love” Anomaly
2015 Budweiser, “Lost Dog” Anomaly

Source: USA Today Ad Meter


Other spots we liked

Reebok introduces Terry Tate, office linebacker. “You kill the joe, you make some mo!” (2003, Arnell Group).

H&R Block has fun with Willie Nelson’s well-publicized tax troubles, with Nelson’s agent turning down an endorsement deal for “Smoothie” shaving cream (2003, Campbell Mithun).

The talking baby of E-Trade debuts, beginning a seven-year Super Bowl run (2008, Grey, New York).

A boy dressed as Darth Vader tries unsuccessfully to use “The Force” on his dog and his mother, but when he goes outside he is able to magically start his dad’s Volkswagen (2011, Deutsch)


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