Israel-based Web development platform Wix.com today announced that it will air its first-ever Super Bowl ad during NBC's broadcast of the Feb. 1 game. The 30-second spot will be supported by additional spots and content that will be developed and tailored for Wix' various online platforms (Wix). In N.Y., Claire Atkinson notes the spot "will air in the fourth quarter" and touts a "user-friendly platform that aims to make it easy for mom-and-pop businesses to build and maintain their own e-commerce sites." Wix "has previously focused its ad dollars on cheaper direct-response marketing methods like mailings and remnant TV ads" (NYPOST.com, 11/12). AD AGE's Jeanine Poggi notes smaller marketers "sometimes approximate a Super Bowl buy by assembling air time purchased from local network affiliates or pay-TV cable or satellite systems." But Wix said that that "was not the case here." Wix CMO Omer Shai in an e-mail wrote, "The Super Bowl is where the most exciting and innovative brands come to tell their story on the biggest stage, and we felt that we have something unique and interesting to say." He added that the goal of the campaign is to "raise brand awareness and show the personality of the company" (ADAGE.com, 11/12).
ASKING FOR TOO MUCH? NBC earlier this week noted it still has some inventory left to sell for Super Bowl XLIX, and Fox Business’ Melissa Francis said, “I’m no expert, but it could have something to do with that record price tag for a 30-second spot." NBC is charging $4.5M for 30 seconds of ad space, and Barron’s Senior Editor Jack Hough said it is “really hard to figure out what you get” with a spot in the game. He did acknowledge companies get "more than" just the commercial. Hough: "You get news reports with people talking about who is advertising and so on and so forth." NewOak Capital President James Frischling said there has been a "general softness in television advertising." Frischling: "The Super Bowl is a unique place, but again they raised their price by 12.5%." He said the ad spots will "still sell out, but certain companies are backing away because of maybe some of the image issues” the NFL is currently dealing with (“Money With Melissa Francis,” Fox Business, 11/11).
