Sanitizing the Super Bowl

Everyone knows that the commercials shown during the Super Bowl are supposed to be the best of the year. This year, a 30 second commercial is selling for approximately $2.4 million. This is up six percent from last year alone. Fox has already sold 90% of the 59 commercial spots they have available. This puts them at over $140 million that they will make off of commercials alone during the Super Bowl. The Super Bowl is the most watched sporting event across the nation. A normal commercial on prime time will typically cost around $400,000. Are the benefits of showing a commercial during the Super Bowl that great? To spend a little over $2 million more than normal on a thirty second commercial does not seem as beneficial to me as it does to others. However, it probably needs to be taken into consideration that the companies that are advertising during the Super Bowl can afford $2.5 million without thinking twice about the cost. I will admit that sometimes my friends and I will watch the Super Bowl just to see the commercials because they are supposed to be so amazing.

The half time show is also something people are already looking forward to this year. Not many people have forgotten last year's show. This year Ameriquest Mortgage is paying $15 million, which happens to be a record, to sponsor Paul McCartney. $15 million is 50% higher than what America Online paid for the half time show in 2004. The Super Bowl is becoming a bigger event year after year.