At 6.5 million dollars for about 30 seconds, according to several American media, the NBC channel, which broadcasts this final of the professional American football league (NFL), should achieve more than half a billion dollars in turnover. 'business.

Down last year, spot prices have exploded this year (+ around 18%), a sign that the appetite for this monument of American sport has never been so strong.

"The Super Bowl is a unique advertising terrain because it can still reach 100 million people," said Charles Taylor, professor of marketing at Villanova University.

By comparison, the most-watched non-sports television program in the United States in 2021, the interview with Harry and Meghan, only attracted 21 million viewers.

The streaming revolution, with platforms on which advertisements and direct are often absent, does nothing about it.

Several brands that have not attended the Super Bowl for many years, such as Gillette razors (16) or Lay's chips (17), have decided to return.

Back also, car manufacturers, such as Nissan, Kia or BMW, as well as tour operators Booking.com, Expedia or the vacation rental site Vrbo.

"A light approach"

"It's a vote of confidence for 2022, the year travel returns," explained the president of Expedia (of which Vrbo is a subsidiary), Jon Gieselman, in a statement sent to AFP.

After 2020 a political year, with in particular spots bought by the American presidential candidates Donald Trump and Michael Bloomberg, 2021 was that of the pandemic, while being restrained to take into account the mood of the country, between virus and convalescent economy.

Christian Guirnalda, head of telecom giant Verizon, explains, on February 9, 2022 in Los Angeles, the deployment of 5G during the Super Bowl Vivien Killilea Getty / AFP

For the first time in 37 years, the Budweiser brewer had zapped the event, preferring to devote its budget to promoting the vaccination campaign against Covid-19.

Coca-Cola and Pepsi had also passed.

Coming out of two years of Covid-19, "our goal is to showcase the perseverance and determination of the country and to show that by coming together, we can move forward", declared Daniel Blake, vice- president of Budweiser, back.

More than the serious tone of "Bud", with its little film about an injured horse which miraculously recovers, the tone seems to be relaxed this year.

"The country and the world have just gone through a very difficult period (...), it is the right time for a light approach", considers Charles Taylor.

“This year, we won't see people wearing masks, conversations about the virus, political speeches,” anticipates Tim Calkins, professor of marketing at Northwestern University.

40% newcomers

In the spotlight, for those that have already been unveiled, the wacky advertisements, with Arnold Schwarzenegger as Zeus, or actor Zac Efron as a shaggy fisherman chased by an aquatic monster.

"No one comments on the ads that pass during + The Bachelor +", compares Tim Calkins.

"But the Super Bowl is different. The level of attention is incredible, and it's easy to miss. So this year the advertisers are going to play it safe."

Some brands have seen, in the past, their notoriety increase by 24% thanks to a 30-second spot at the Super Bowl, according to the firm Kantar.

In addition to the regulars, start-ups are thus seeking to capture some of the light of this high mass which will oppose Los Angeles Rams and Cincinnati Bengals.

The Rams are heading straight for the Super Bowl final after their victory over neighbors San Francisco on January 30, 2022 in Inglewood, California RONALD MARTINEZ Getty/AFP/Archives

Nearly 40% of advertisers will be newcomers this year, with cryptocurrencies, electric vehicles and sports betting platforms in the spotlight, three sectors of the American economy that are on the rise.

Advertising may have migrated to the internet, with its millimeter targeting of specific consumer profiles, nothing replaces the Super Bowl.

"You can buy space on Facebook and know exactly who is going to click, where people are going to go," says Tim Calkins, "but advertising during the Super Bowl is something else. We're building a brand."

© 2022 AFP