Fox had pre-sold a "number of bonus spots" in case Super Bowl LI went to overtime, and "as that prospect became a reality, other brands began making inquiries of their own," according to Anthony Crupi of AD AGE. Fox Exec VP/Ad Sales Bruce Lefkowitz said, "We always have overtime agreements in place, and did so this year." Crupi noted Fox "only had the chance to air four ads" in overtime, but those spots brought in $16-20M in "additional cash on top of what was already" a $400M-plus night for the net (ADAGE.com, 2/6). The WALL STREET JOURNAL's Mike Shields reports S.F.-based online lender SoFi and Proactiv prior to the game "inked a deal with Fox to run a Super Bowl ad if -- and only if -- the matchup went into overtime." SoFi said the ad option "cost less than half" of the roughly $5M that Fox charged for a 30-second in-game ad. Hulu and Sprint ran ads during regulation, but "also negotiated for overtime slots." A source said that Fox sales execs "started calling ad buyers" during the game while "also trying to corral marketers who were also in Houston to see if they wanted to buy ads that would run in the event of an extended overtime" (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 2/7).
ALL ABOUT THE CONSUMER: AD AGE's Jeanine Poggi notes Fox "pushed to sell new ad formats, not just live spots, during its coverage of Super Bowl LI." While "not all of its ideas materialized, its efforts indicate why TV networks need to innovate the ad model and find more consumer-friendly formats." Fox President of Advertising Products Joe Marchese: "We don't have shared TV experiences anymore. This is one of the only nights where there is a massive, concurrent audience. So we want to take the opportunity to do something as special as possible." Poggi notes that was "certainly part of the thinking for Snickers, which hosted a 36-hour digital live stream leading into its live TV commercial." Meanwhile, Hyundai's postgame spot "used footage shot during the game at a U.S. military base overseas, where the automaker surprised soldiers watching in high-tech viewing pods with virtual family reunions." (AD AGE, 2/6 issue). AD AGE's Judann Pollack notes P&G's Tide ad starring Fox' Terry Bradshaw getting a stain on his shirt during what initially appeared to be live TV "marked the first time an advertiser had tried an integration so complex on so large a stage." While P&G "declined to discuss specifics of its negotiations," the company said its sponsorship of the NFL "helped get access to some league assets." Actual filming "began about three weeks prior to the Super Bowl" (AD AGE, 2/6 issue).
BEST AND WORST: In Chicago, Teddy Greenstein writes his favorite commercials included "German immigrant Adolphus Busch, the Skittles mouth catches, Coca-Cola's Multilingual 'From Sea to Shining Sea,' Audi's 'Equal pay for equal work' and the Mr. Clean fantasy." T-Mobile "tried way too hard" to get Justin Bieber, Rob Gronkowski and Terrell Owens to make "some weird point about 'unlimited moves'" (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 2/7). In Orlando, Hal Boedeker writes his favorite commercials were Honda CR-V's talking yearbook that enlisted celebrities for a "witty spot that urged viewers to chase their dreams" and Ford's "Go Further" spot that "mixed Nina Simone's singing (always a plus) with funny images of being stuck." One "strange commercial" was the one in which "the ghost of Spuds MacKenzie appeared for Bud Light" (ORLANDO SENTINEL, 2/7). In Charlotte, Scott Fowler asked, "What in God’s name did they do to Mr. Clean and why was he hitting on that guy’s wife? That commercial grossed me out" (CHARLOTTEOBSERVER.com, 2/5). ABC's Jimmy Kimmel: "Is anyone else having strangely erotic feelings about Mr. Clean?" ("Jimmy Kimmel Live," ABC, 2/6).
