As the Super Bowl dawns on Feb. 9, companies are paying a record $8 million for a 30-second Super Bowl ad slot. More than 120 million viewers are expected to watch, and $300 million to $1.3 billion is estimated to be made. It’s clear that the Super Bowl has become less about football and more about commercialization.
The national football game is the second biggest ‘food day’ in America, behind only Thanksgiving. The National Retail Federation predicts that Americans will spend $17.3 billion on food, drinks, and other purchases.
The National Chicken Council estimates that Americans will eat over 1.4 billion chicken wings on Super Bowl Sunday, which has experienced a 7% price increase from last year’s Super Bowl.
Sophomore Savannah Morris described what she was most excited for. “Chicken buffalo dip, wings with ranch, and celery,” Morris said. “I’m excited to see the halftime show.”
Similarly, the Super Bowl is the one day of the year people don’t rush to skip advertisements. For some, the commercials are the main attraction.
“Really good commercials, […] I will be watching it, a high part of it for the commercials,” State High teacher Charles Crawford said.
Fox Corp. sold at least 10 commercials for more than $8 million this year, a new record. Commercial slots sold out in November 2024 and marketers are on a waitlist hoping for a spot if anyone pulls out. The massive audience and opportunity for companies to increase their sales and profits, make these commercial spots highly sought after.
Executive Vice President of Ad Sales at Fox Sports Mark Evans described the high demand for these commercial spots. “If it gets close late in the game, there literally becomes like a stock market bidding war for the last spot or two for advertisers who want to get in to get the benefit of that huge rating,” Evans said to ADWEEK. “We let those last one or two units not be sold so we can have a real-time marketplace in the fourth quarter.”
Actors, artists, and athletes are filling commercial time during the Super Bowl. The commercial from UberEats will feature Matthew McConaughey, Taco Bell’s ad will star Doja Cat, and Post Malone will appear in Bud Light’s advertisements. Other celebrity appearances include Snoop Dogg, Tom Brady, Charli XCX, Issa Rae, and Hailee Steinfeld.
The halftime show features even more celebrities, with performances from Grammy winners Kendrick Lamar and SZA. The two have collaborated on “All the Stars” from the ‘Black Panther’ soundtrack and “Luther” from Lamar’s latest album. Fans hope Lamar performs the Grammy-winning song of the year “Not Like Us.”
R&B artist Ledisi will perform “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” which is often referred to as the Black National anthem. Following this, musician and composer Jon Batiste will sing the National Anthem. Musician Troy Andrews, known as Trombone Shorty, and Christian singer, Lauren Daigle will perform “America the Beautiful”.
Entertainment separate from the big game has become the main appeal for viewers. The food, million-dollar advertisements, celebrity appearances: it’s time the Super Bowl becomes the Super Bowl again.
