The Super Bowl is as much an excuse to sit around and watch a bunch of flashy, big-budget commercials as it is about eating your weight in chicken wings and guacamole. There's also apparently a football game that happens, too? But just how much do companies shell out for a few seconds of incredibly valuable airtime during the big game broadcast? And how much more expensive is it in 2019 than it was when the event first began in 1967? We did some digging to figure out how much brands are paying to advertise during the matchup between the Patriots and Rams on Sunday, and how it compares to the going rate in years past. Super Bowl Commercials Are the Most Expensive They've Ever Been CBS, the host network for the big game this year, is commanding a whopping, a record-breaking amount for such a brief amount of airtime, according to reporting from CNBC. Crunch the numbers and that means perennial big-name advertisers like Budweiser and Doritos will drop an insaneto get their ad in front of the predicted 100 million-plus people who'll tune in this Sunday night. That's up from last year's record-setting high of between $5.05 and $5.2 million for 30 seconds. For some perspective, commercials of similar length during a regular season NFL game cost roughly $625,000. Some argue that the cost of a Super Bowl commercial may have peaked, though. That's because while rates have gone up this year, the increase is marginal compared to the steady increases in the past 10 years (the cost of a 30 second spot has nearly doubled since 2007). As for why, it could be due to the relatively poor ratings for last year's game, which saw its fewest viewers in nine years, according to Bloomberg. Notably, the timing of a commercial has a big influence on what it costs, too. For instance, ads that air in the early part of the game are typically much pricier than those that air later on (early eyeballs are the most valuable). Each advertiser's deal with the network is different, though, and CBS may be offering package deals that include spots during its other popular telecasts and programming. And while the cost of even attempting to put out the commercial that people will be talking about the next day is head-spinningly high, it won't stop deep-pocketed companies from trying. Anheuser-Busch alone has booked a whopping six and a half minutes of commercial airtime during the broadcast, according to CNBC, or an estimated $34 million worth.<doc-sep>Super Bowl 53 didn't exactly inspire excitement on the field, so the brands that ponied up for commercials during the big game got a bang for their buck. A 30-second ad during the Super Bowl cost around $5 million this year, according to Bloomberg News. "CBS Corp., which will broadcast the big game from Atlanta on Feb. 3, is selling 30-second commercials for $5.1 million to $5.3 million, people familiar with the matter said. That’s roughly the same price as last year, when Comcast Corp.’s NBC sold them for $5.24 million, according to research firm Kantar Media." Some companies ran teasers and even released their ads early to generate buzz on social media and get more bang for their buck. From Bud Light to Olay and everything in between, here's a collection of the best commercials that ran during the big game in 2019 to discuss around the water cooler Tuesday. MORE: Breaking down the 'NFL100' commercial frame by frame Pepsi Super Bowl ad Budweiser Super Bowl ad Olay skin care Super Bowl ad Hyundai Super Bowl ad Stella Artois Super Bowl ad Mercedes-Benz Super Bowl ad Mr. Peanut Super Bowl ad Bubly Super Bowl ad Amazon Super Bowl ad Doritos Super Bowl ad M&M's Super Bowl ad Michelob ULTRA Super Bowl ad Michelob ULTRA Pure Gold Super Bowl ad Avocados from Mexico Super Bowl ad BON & VIV Spiked Seltzer Super Bowl ad Bumble Super Bowl ad Colgate Total Super Bowl ad Expensify Super Bowl ad Pringles Super Bowl ad Kia Super Bowl ad Devour Super Bowl ad Yellow Tail Super Bowl ad Verizon Super Bowl ad Toyota Super Bowl ad Bud Light "Corn Syrup" ad To be clear, Bud Light is not brewed with corn syrup, and Miller Lite and Coors Light are. pic.twitter.com/x6tWqdSRXN — Bud Light (@budlight) February 3, 2019 "Game of Thrones"/Bud Light ad T-Mobile "What's for dinner?" ad The Twilight Zone Super Bowl ad What dimension are you even in? 🌀 Witness the extended cut of the debut @TheTwilightZone promo featuring @JordanPeele. #TheTwilightZone pic.twitter.com/J54ZnqlpDO — The Twilight Zone (@TheTwilightZone) February 4, 2019 NFL "100 years" Super Bowl ad The all-time greatest, most competitive NFL players gathered for the #NFL100 gala. What could possibly go wrong? pic.twitter.com/pvE0fKuSye — NFL (@NFL) February 4, 2019 Burger King Super Bowl ad the whopper's out of the bag. keep eating like Andy. #EatLikeAndy pic.twitter.com/Bg3ZuK1V3J — Burger King (@BurgerKing) February 4, 2019 Avengers Super Bowl ad "Some people move on. But not us." Watch the brand new Marvel Studios' #AvengersEndgame spot that aired during the Big Game. See the film in theaters April 26. pic.twitter.com/ruu7A7MnEk — The Avengers (@Avengers) February 3, 2019 Washington Post Super Bowl ad<doc-sep>But the price tag isn’t keeping some companies from jumping at the opportunity for exposure to the estimated 100 million-plus expected to tune in. The Super Bowl is, after all, the ultimate American advertising event of the year. "It's such a big investment. Advertisers really want to generate as much return as they can," Northwestern University marketing professor Tim Calkins told the Associated Press. "I think we'll see a lot of humor and product-focused advertising. A lot of advertisers are nervous about taking on big themes." Last year, Pringles spent $5 million in a comedic ad featuring Bill Hader. “Somehow, those silly 30 seconds helped a more than 50-year-old brand regain some of its mojo,” Bloomberg’s Tara Lachapelle penned in an online column. According to researchers, the company is still experiencing strong sales growth after the 2018 ad. You can expect a Pringles Super Bowl return this year, too. » RELATED: Are these the best Super Bowl ads of all time? "Of course, ads can only do so much to help a mediocre product," wrote Lachapelle. Jack in the Box Inc.'s sassy ad featuring Martha Stewart promoted an Asian-fried chicken sandwich that, in the end, just wasn't flavorful enough to gain momentum. The chain is now exploring a buyout. This Sunday, viewers will continue to see a good bit of star power, including Atlanta rappers 2 Chainz, Lil Jon and Ludacris. Other celebrities sure to create buzz-worthy noise come Sunday: Cardi B, Steve Carell, Jeff Bridges, Forest Whitaker, Serena Williams... The list goes on. Keep an eye out for some local goals, too. » RELATED: Atlanta goats to star in Super Bowl ad Some sneak previews are already available on YouTube. A minute-long Budweiser commercial has more than 13 million views as of Thursday afternoon. On Sunday, the company's full commercial will be a record 6 ½ minutes long, totaling nearly $34 million, according to CNBC. Another teaser for Pepsico-owned Doritos features Chance the Rapper and the Backstreet Boys and has created its share of media buzz. “The question is,” Lachapelle wrote, “as younger generations become less captivated by the big game, will there always be a Super Bowl effect?” All things Super Bowl 53 at ajc.com.<doc-sep>
Welcome to FTW Explains: a guide to catching up on and better understanding stuff going on in the world. You may have seen a Super Bowl commercial and wondered what was up with its absurd cost. We’re here to help. Also: Join us as a panelist for Ad Meter, where you can vote on and rate the best commercials of the Super Bowl. How much do Super Bowl commercials cost? According to Bloomberg, a 30-second ad spot for Super Bowl 53 is going for just north of $5.2 million — a record price that was set in last year’s Super Bowl 52. The price for a Super Bowl ad has doubled over the past 10 years. And if you’re looking even further back, the price has skyrocketed since the Super Bowl was first televised. Ads for Super Bowl I in 1967 went for $37,500 per spot. Why are Super Bowl commercials so expensive? Basically, the Super Bowl is the annual event with the most eyeballs — an estimated 103 million watched last year’s game. While viewers tend to focus their attention elsewhere during commercial breaks of typical TV broadcasts, the Super Bowl is different. The ads are part of the show, and 30 seconds of Super Bowl ad time mean 30 seconds for one brand to have the undivided attention of more than 100 million people. That kind of impact comes at a premium price. That’s the short answer, anyway. The longer answer is that Super Bowl commercials cost a lot because they’ve become as much a part of the viewing experience as the game itself. Several commercials set the bar early on to make the idea of The Super Bowl Commercial a thing: Most notably the Apple 1984 ad which won awards and helped make Apple the company it is today. Budweiser gained even more national notoriety with a string of popular ads, the Dot.com boom got in on the fun in the late 90s and early 00s, and since then companies like Doritos and GoDaddy! have gotten major attention for their Super Bowl commercials. Eyeballs, yes, but active eyeballs is what is really important here. People care about Super Bowl commercials, and it’s very rare that people care about commercials at all. Is spending $5 million on a commercial even worth it? Ad executives believe so. According to Forbes, CBS had already sold 90 percent of its ad inventory heading into Super Bowl week, and the network expects to sell all of it out before the game. Via Forbes: “The way that you extract the most value out of a Super Bowl ad is how you leverage it from a public relations and a social media standpoint,” said Bret Werner, president of MWWPR, in an interview.”It has to go beyond a 30-second spot.” Former NBC ad exec Seth Winter (now with Fox) estimated in 2015 that each Super Bowl ad generates $10 million in PR value if leveraged correctly. So, with that in mind, brands see the $5.2 million price tag as a bargain. You can follow USA TODAY’s Ad Meter here.