For more information on the following story, contact James Needham at [email protected] or (765) 285-1782. Dom Caristi may be reached at [email protected] or (765) 287-0117.
SUPER BOWL ADS ARE EXPENSIVE, FUN AND SOMETIMES WORTH IT
MUNCIE, Ind. - When Monday morning quarterbacks begin dissecting the Super Bowl, the real MVP may have never played a down.
The MVP, in this case "most valuable pitchman," will come from more than a dozen new commercials used to unveil new products, say two television experts at Ball State University.
"Some pundits say the commercials are the best part of the game," said James Needham, telecommunications professor. "They are certainly the most highly-produced elements. Production costs may exceed the $2 million price tag charged for a 30-second spot."
The game pits the St. Louis Rams against the New England Patriots beginning at 6 p.m. Feb. 2 from the Louisiana Superdome. The Fox television network will broadcast it.
Companies are willing to pay outlandish prices to reach millions of Americans tuning in for several hours, said Dom Caristi, telecommunications professor.
"The Super Bowl is one of the few events that actually qualifies as a media event," he said. "It serves as a unifying force for a country that rarely does anything collectively. Advertisers know that."
Because of the high ratings, the Super Bowl has become a major focal point for new companies wanting to tap into a national market. After years of beer and car commercials, advertisements went high tech in 2000 when 17 dot-com companies plunked down $1.9 million each.
The gamble failed and a year later only three of those companies were still in business after the high tech industry went bust.
"The initial introduction of Apple Computer was in a Super Bowl spot," Needham said. "It was a huge success. Everyone in that business has been trying to match that ever since."
The White House's Office of National Drug Control Policy has turned up as one of the big spenders for this year's Super Bowl.
The ONDCP is best known for spots such as, 'This is your brain on drugs.' It has purchased two 30-second anti-terror spots suggesting illegal drug sales fund terrorism.
Caristi believes Fox is facing major challenges from other networks who want to steal viewers during halftime.
While Fox has Irish rockers U2 to hold viewers between the first and second halves, NBC is using several Playboy Playmates in a special edition of "Fear Factor."
"The Nielsen's (rating system numbers) for halftime ought to be closer than the game," he said.
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(NOTE TO EDITORS: For more information, contact Needham at [email protected] or (765) 285-1782. Caristi may be reached at [email protected] or (765) 287-0117. For more stories visit the Ball State University News Center at www.bsu.edu/news.)
Marc Ransford1/31/02
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