When you think of the Super Bowl, what first comes to mind? Is it the Wendy’s commercial that asks “Where’s the beef?” or is it the Mountain Dew ad that features a puppy monkey baby? The Super Bowl has been America’s main football event since 1967, making it also America’s main marketing event. Advertisements have been sold since the first Super Bowl when the going rate was $37,000 for a 30-second commercial. In 2026, the rate for a 30-second spot is around $7 to $8 million. With millions of people tuning in, the Super Bowl is the most opportune time for businesses to get their names out into the world.
The aforementioned advertisements were humorous and unique, making them memorable and entertaining for consumers. Commercials perform best when their entertainment factors offer compelling, emotional, or relatable content. One of the most successful Super Bowl ads was Apple’s Macintosh commercial from 1984. Referring to George Orwell’s dystopian novel (titled 1984), this ad showed how purchasing an Apple Macintosh would help consumers live better in this year than the characters had in the book. This ad was so successful that it helped the company sell 72,000 computers in 100 days.
A major reason why Super Bowl ads get more attention than commercials made for normal television is because viewers consider them to be more entertaining than the typical, everyday ad. With such a hefty price, the Super Bowl is an opportunity for businesses to produce high-quality, entertaining, and engaging content to ensure a profitable use of their money. The reputation of Super Bowl ads has led many viewers to tune into the football game in anticipation of the more engaging commercials. In 2022, Sports Illustrated reported on this commercial-loving phenomenon, noting that Advocado conducted a study that found that more than 40% of those surveyed watch the Super Bowl for the advertisements, not the game. Additionally, 50% of those surveyed admitted to buying a product based on a Super Bowl commercial.
With the landmark 60th Super Bowl occurring on February 8, some companies have already confirmed their commercial slots, including past favorites like Uber Eats, Instacart, PepsiCo, Pringles, Hellman’s Mayonnaise, and Ritz, and some debut appearances from Raisin Bran, Liquid I.V., and Grubhub. The 2025 Super Bowl averaged a record 127.7 million U.S. viewers across television and streaming platforms, and this year it is expected to bring in a similar, if not bigger, number of viewers.
Will you be tuning in for Super Bowl LX? If so, what are you most looking forward to: the game, the half-time show, or the commercial breaks?
Sources:
https://www.sacredheart.edu/news-room/news-listing/why-do-super-bowl-ads-get-so-much-attention/
https://www.superbowl-ads.com/
https://www.cmswire.com/digital-marketing/10-super-bowl-marketing-moments-that-made-history/
https://www.si.com/nfl/how-many-people-watch-the-super-bowl-statistics-and-ratings-history