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Introduction to Business 2e

Critical Thinking Case

Introduction to Business 2eCritical Thinking Case

Critical Thinking Case

Advertisers Score with the Super Bowl

What sporting event is televised globally in over 130 countries worldwide and has created a quasi–national holiday in the United States? The Super Bowl is considered by football fans as the ultimate game and known as the largest advertising opportunity for media companies that broadcast the game and companies that want to reach a large audience. The history of impactful advertising shown as part of Super Bowl viewing includes the 2019 ad with Bud Light and the Game of Thrones jousting battle. The ad was only shown once, but it is recognized as one of the most iconic moments in the history of advertising.

In recent years companies have used football’s popularity and the Super Bowl as a global program to get their message out to a worldwide audience. While the high cost of advertising during the Super Bowl may deter some advertisers, the impact of ads during this and other major sporting events continues to be effective with viewers and create buzz that ads running in other spots do not generate.

One additional thing that advertisers have to consider is the impact of the current political climate and other aspects of players' lives that could create a diversion and affect campaigns. These issues could impact the amount that the networks pay for the rights to air the events and the decision of whether a firm wants to be associated with the event because of certain players or political issues. NFL games, and the Super Bowl in particular, provide a platform for players to communicate their stance on current issues or political concerns because of the large viewership. Likewise, a controversy can occur in relation to the halftime show or by protesters in the stands, both of which have happened in previous years. A large-scale live event always provides the possibility of something happening that could not be anticipated. Companies with creative and adept social media departments can, however, make a positive impact by reacting to events as they occur. For example, during the 2013 Super Bowl in New Orleans, a faulty transformer caused a power outage just before halftime, which caused a 30-minute delay. An employee in Oreo’s social media department sent out a Tweet saying, “Power out? No problem. You can still dunk in the dark,” with a picture of an Oreo cookie on a dark background.

Critical Thinking Questions
  1. Name some of the challenges marketers encounter when developing advertising and promotional campaigns. How does the type of product affect the promotional strategies?
  2. You work for an ad agency that has a Super Bowl sponsor as a client. What approach would you recommend for your agency as it develops a campaign—universal, customized for each geographical region, or something else, and why?
  3. What types of companies could benefit from placing ads on the NFL website, and how can they use the internet effectively to promote their products?

Sources: Benjamin Hoffman, Victor Mather, and Jacey Fortin, “After Trump Blasts N.F.L., Players Kneel and Lock Arms in Solidarity,” The New York Times, https://www.nytimes.com, September 25, 2017; Jason Notte, “How NFL Sponsors Get Ambushed at the Super Bowl," The Street, https://www.thestreet.com, January 24, 2017; Rochelle Olsen and Andrew Krammer, “Two Pipeline Protesters Arrested after Hanging Banner in U.S. Bank Stadium during Vikings Game," Star Tribune, https://www.startribune.com, January 2, 2017; Angele Watercutter, “How Oreo Won the Marketing Super Bowl with a Timely Blackout Ad on Twitter,” Wired, https://www.wired.com, February 4, 2013; "Super Bowl LX second most-watched all time with nearly 125M viewers," NFL, https://www.nfl.com, February 10, 2026; Brittaney Kiefer, "The 26 Best Super Bowl Ads of the Past 26 Years," Adweek, https://www.adweek.com, February 6, 2026.

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