10 Feb 2010

Harvard Business School Faculty Comment on Super Bowl Advertisements

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BOSTON, Feb. 10, 2010 — Along with more than 100 million other viewers, HBS marketing experts Stephen Greyser and Sunil Gupta were watching the ads along with the game on Super Bowl Sunday - Doritos vs. Denny's, Coke vs. Bud Lite, Dockers vs. Dr. Pepper, and on and on into the night. Once the confetti had cleared, they offered some thoughts on the cascade of commercials.

Professor Stephen Greyser

Stephen A. Greyser
Richard P. Chapman Professor of Business Administration, Emeritus


On Super Bowl Sunday, some 40 brands paid almost $3 million for each 30-second commercial. The "Ad Bowl" competition in the popular and even advertising press is typically judged by "liking." Because the Super Bowl setting is entertainment, it is logical to consider liking the ads to be a major factor in judging them. But the setting is also one of competition, and in my view effectiveness is more important than popularity alone. Studies, including my own, do not show consistent, meaningful correlation, so a disliked commercial can, in fact, be effective. Last Sunday, the kinds of companies that played before the biggest audience in U.S. television history changed little: big brands that want to be part of the big show, companies with new products or models, firms that want to look big (such as dot.coms), and non-traditional entities seeking an audience for their message (e.g., Focus on the Family, the Census Bureau). Even as the mix of companies and brands evolves, advertisers' marketing goals remain basically the same as well. Attention and engagement from target consumers are of primary importance. Attention is a ticket of admission for a brand to be remembered at purchase or pre-purchase time. Creating consumer buzz via an array of contests and giveaways (free pants and breakfasts, for example) is an important recent phenomenon. Say what you will about fragmentation and the impact of the social media, the Super Bowl broadcast continues to be the biggest game in town for advertisers eager to make their mark on millions of viewers.

Click here to read Professor Greyser's full analysis of Super Bowl commercials.

Professor Sunil Gupta

Sunil Gupta
Edward W. Carter Professor of Business Administration


This year's Super Bowl ads were a bit subdued. Yes, Budweiser offered its usual funny spots, and Snickers, Doritos and Dennys provided the occasional laugh, but overall the ads lacked creativity and punch. Even the Tim Tebow ad that created significant buzz before the Super Bowl was quite plain and uninspiring. Perhaps the only bright spot was paystobecurious.com, which intrigued viewers with a very brief commercial and a puzzling question. By the third time my 13-year old son saw this ad, he stopped watching football and started checking the Web site to find the answer to "what rhymes with purple."

About Harvard Business School

Harvard Business School, located on a 40-acre campus in Boston, was founded in 1908 as part of Harvard University. It is among the world's most trusted sources of management education and thought leadership. For more than a century, the School's faculty has combined a passion for teaching with rigorous research conducted alongside practitioners at world-leading organizations to educate leaders who make a difference in the world. Through a dynamic ecosystem of research, learning, and entrepreneurship that includes MBA, Doctoral, Executive Education, and Online programs, as well as numerous initiatives, centers, institutes, and labs, Harvard Business School fosters bold new ideas and collaborative learning networks that shape the future of business.