How Social Media Changed the Super Bowl Ad Business
Most people can remember a favorite Super Bowl commercial. More than any other event on the U.S. sports calendar, the Super Bowl offers a prime opportunity for brands to get their message across to millions of viewers, who often pay more attention to commercials during the big game than at any other time during the year.
It’s not just that close to 100 million people tune into the broadcast every year, giving brands significantly more exposure to potential customers. It’s also that Super Bowl commercials have taken on an identity of their own, with fans debating their favorites on social media and news outlets ranking them from best to worst. A 2020 AudienceProject survey revealed that 79 percent of respondents view Super Bowl commercials as entertainment beyond the game itself.
The visibility, however, comes with a heavy toll. Running a 30-second ad during the Super Bowl cost companies a record $6.5 million in 2022, and that number will surely increase in 2023. But as the window for cost-effective ads shrinks on linear television, on social media, virality comes at virtually no cost to brands.
“Traditionally, Super Bowl ads were the opportunity to get in front of the largest audience possible during a singular event,” said PR agency founder Dave Beauboeuf. “But now the ability to share and consume content on social media offers a potentially more impactful secondary stage for brands to engage wider audiences. Ad execs now think about what has legs beyond TV reruns and morning-after recap lists.”
Overview
It would be fair to assume that the more money a brand spends on a Super Bowl commercial, the more likely it is to succeed. But, in fact, spending more to get your branding in front of a Super Bowl TV audience for a longer period of time does not guarantee a stronger return. This type of investment becomes even riskier as the cost of a 30-second Super Bowl spot increases every year.
In our study, we use social media — specifically Twitter — as the primary barometer for a commercial’s success. Brands know that the more online engagement they create from a commercial at peak viewership levels, the more likely it is to drive interest, brand positivity and eventual sales. Based on our study, the brands that followed this model most strategically, by delivering a compelling message in a shorter amount of time and at a lower cost, more often had the highest impact on social media.
Evidence
The majority of 30-second ads from 2018-2022 saw big returns in exposure and engagement while costing less than ads of longer length. The charts below show the differences in costs and returns on investment between the most-tweeted-about commercials in that five-year time span.
Super Bowl LII (2018)
30-second ad cost (with inflation): $6.2 million
Average TV viewership: 103.4 million
| Brand | Time of ad | Total ad spend | Cost per TV view | # of Twitter mentions | Cost per mention |
| Dodge |
1:00 |
$12.4 million |
$0.12 |
24,700 |
$502.02 |
| Doritos |
1:30 |
$18.6 million |
$0.18 |
29,200 |
$636.99 |
| Pepsi |
0:30 |
$6.2 million |
$0.06 |
40,600 |
$152.71 |
(Sources: Nielsen, Brandwatch)
Pepsi spent less on its “Every Generation” ad and still was mentioned more often on Twitter than the Dodge and Doritos ads that took up more airtime. The commercial, starring Cindy Crawford and Britney Spears, cost nearly $485 less per Twitter mention than the second-most popular ad on Twitter.
Super Bowl LIII (2019)
30-second ad cost (with inflation): $6.2 million
Average TV viewership: 98.2 million
| Brand | Time of ad | Total ad spend | Cost per TV view | # of Twitter mentions | Cost per mention |
| Marvel |
0:30 |
$6.2 million |
$0.06 |
25,600 |
$242.19 |
| Bud Light |
1:00 |
$12.4 million |
$1.57 |
41,400 |
$299.52 |
| Washington Post |
1:00 |
$12.4 million |
$1.57 |
34,700 |
$357.35 |
(Sources: Nielsen, Brandwatch)
Bud Light’s medieval-inspired ad cost required double the spend of Marvel’s “Avengers: Endgame” trailer for one minute of airtime, but it nearly made up for it with over 15,000 more Twitter mentions. It even edged the Washington Post’s hot-button “Democracy Dies in Darkness” commercial.
Super Bowl LIV (2020)
30-second ad cost (with inflation): $6.4 million
Average TV viewership: 100.5 million
| Brand | Time of ad | Total ad spend | Cost per TV view | # of Twitter mentions | Cost per mention |
|
1:30 |
$19.2 million |
$0.19 |
32,069 |
$598.71 |
|
| Avocados From Mexico |
0:30 |
$6.4 million |
$0.06 |
69,090 |
$92.63 |
| Donald Trump |
0:30 |
$6.4 million |
$0.06 |
171,849 |
$37.24 |
(Sources: Nielsen, Salesforce)
In an election year, then-President Donald Trump ran a 30-second campaign ad that dominated the social media conversation. Avocados From Mexico also returned with a short but quirky commercial featuring actress Molly Ringwald, which resonated with the online audience at a much lower cost than Google’s “Loretta.”
Super Bowl LV (2021)
30-second ad cost (with inflation): $6.2 million
Average TV viewership: 91.6 million
| Brand | Time of ad | Total ad spend | Cost per TV view | # of Twitter mentions | Cost per mention |
| State Farm |
0:30 |
$6.2 million |
$0.07 |
42,092 |
$147.30 |
| Pepsi |
1:00 |
$12.4 million |
$0.14 |
242,638 |
$51.10 |
| Mountain Dew |
0:30 |
$6.2 million |
$0.07 |
315,814 |
$19.63 |
(Sources: Nielsen, Brandwatch)
Mountain Dew put a twist on Super Bowl advertising in 2021, challenging viewers to count the number of Major Melon bottles in their 30-second ad featuring John Cena and tweet the answer to win a $1 million prize. The experiment worked, driving more Twitter mentions than Pepsi’s commercial with The Weeknd, that year’s halftime show headliner.
Super Bowl LVI (2022)
30-second ad cost (with inflation): $6.8 million
Average TV viewership: 99.2 million
| Brand | Time of ad | Total ad spend | Cost per TV view | # of Twitter mentions | Cost per mention |
| Crypto.com |
0:30 |
$6.8 million |
$0.07 |
12,500 |
$544.00 |
| General Motors |
1:30 |
$20.4 million |
$0.21 |
136,900 |
$149.01 |
| Coinbase |
1:00 |
$13.6 million |
$0.14 |
79,000 |
$172.15 |
| FTX |
2:30 |
$34 million |
$0.34 |
230,600 |
$147.44 |
(Sources: Nielsen, Brandwatch, Talkwalker)
FTX — the now-bankrupt and scandal-ridden cryptocurrency exchange — bucked the trend in 2022 with a long, narrative commercial starring Larry David that went viral on social media. In cost and mentions, the ad far surpassed even General Motors’ Austin Powers-themed ad and Coinbase’s QR code, which caused so much online activity that its website crashed.
Conclusion
These results point to a growing trend in the media and advertising industry. As more fans use social media to consume their content and contribute to the online conversation, brands are seeing greater returns when they meet people where they are. The grand presentation of a Super Bowl commercial, which often costs more to make and put on television, matters less than the ability for it to go viral online within seconds of airing.
Will brands have adjusted their creative and storytelling approaches to fit this new format for 2023? We won’t have to wait much longer to find out during Super Bowl LVII.
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