 If you’re in the market for a Super Bowl commercial slot and you have $2.4 million to spend (the average price for a 30-second spot in last year’s game, which ABC promises not to exceed), there are still places available. Just not very many. So if you’re still in the mood for a traditional, big-market, mainstream advertisement (unlike, for example, using eBay to rent commercial space on one man’s torso), act now! Supplies are limited.
Adweek reports from Ed Erhardt, president of sales for ABC/ESPN, that first half timeslots are now on the brink of extinction, and the second half should disappear relatively quickly. This despite December rumors – detailed in this space – that sales numbers were below average, and that ABC was losing sales ground to the Olympics on NBC and to a larger trend towards more targeted marketing approaches.
According to Erhardt, ad slots have filled up by relying on traditional clients, most notably from the automotive and financial sectors (General Motors, Ford, Ameriquest, and Mastercard are among the likely clients). Sprint Nextel, whose sponsorship of the NFL grants them rights to mobile game highlights, will certainly be a presence, at least according to this Wall Street Journal interview. Additionally, ESPN has reportedly purchased a 60-second spot and is spending an additional $2.5-$3 million to produce an ESPN Mobile spot.
Presumably it will be a bit more high-budget than the minimalist black-screen teasers that Bristol has been running since December.
And even though the first half timeslots are almost full, there is definitely room in the third and fourth quarters for sales; Erhardt sounds almost desperate, as if the Adweek story were itself a kind of sales pitch. And while ABC will certainly take care of some of that space with in-house promotions, it’s reasonable to assume that Disney itself has already bracketed off major premium slots for promoting the 50th Anniversary of DisneyWorld and Cars, the last Pixar film that will be distributed through Disney before the expiration of their seven-picture deal. These were the two showcased spots during the Rose Bowl, and it’s reasonable to assume that Disney will keep them in full force.
The wildcard here, of course, is GoDaddy.com, the internet hosting firm that made big waves last year with the “Wardrobe Malfunction”-spinoff in which model Candice Michelle was seen having repeated trouble keeping her shirt in place while testifying before a congressional panel. The spot was scheduled to run twice during last year’s Fox broadcast, but the second airing was pulled once the NFL complained after seeing the first go-round. Not only did the ad apparently offend Tagliabue; Pepsi is reported to have complained to Fox that the GoDaddy spot ruined the climate for other ads in its commercial pod.
For a good read, go over to GoDaddy President Bob Parsons’ blog and watch him smack Pepsi down.
So is GoDaddy coming back for another pass? You might have seen their ads this weekend during Fox’s Playoff coverage. But as for the Super Bowl? Well, the outlook is good. Even though Adweek claims that negotiations are still in the air, Parsons reports on Friday that GoDaddy has in fact agreed to the $2.6 million 30-second buy, though the final content has not been approved by ABC. Previous submissions had clearly been rejected by the network, but GoDaddy was persisting in trying to find something that would be appropriately racy (Candice Michelle in the house) and “just a touch inappropriate.”
Note the purchase price; if we take Erhardt’s numbers on face value, then GoDaddy is spending $200,000 above last year’s average price, which ABC claims is still higher than this year’s average. So GoDaddy is paying at the high end, almost certainly just compensating ABC for the labor costs of having to watch and reject hours of Candice Michelle footage.
Today We Are Obsessed With
It’s the playoffs, stupid. Do your best Jim Mora impersonation. And you hardly need the Digest to tell you about them; if you’re reading this column, chances are, you know everything you need to know about the NFL postseason.
Except to point out that the Mighty MJD – filling in for Deadspin on the weekends – picked up some good one-liners from Mike Patrick and Paul Maguire during Saturday’s Bucs/’Skins game. Worth a look.
And we’d be remiss in not mentioning that athlete appearances on 60 Minutes don’t have to be solely self-promoting moments of excessive narcissism. They can also be controversial! Case in point: “international ski phenomenon” Bode Miller’s interview last night, in which he oh-so-callously admitted that the way to the next whiskey bar occasionally involves a chairlift.
So now everybody is mad at everybody. Miller is unhappy with Sixty Minutes, because, apparently, producers and directors edit these interview for dramatic effect. The International Ski Federation is unhappy with Bode, but mostly, unhappy with the U.S. Ski Team for allowing this to go on: "They say they are dealing with it. But with Bode they are on thin ice." Which is probably not the best metaphor to use in this particular situation.
This despite FIS President Gian Franco Kaspar having said earlier that "It's his own mistake … It's completely stupid that he said it and not exactly what he should tell young people. We aren't really concerned [for the sport]. I think everyone knows it's stupidity. I feel sorry for him because he's killing his reputation … But there is no minimal IQ limit within alpine skiing."
Wait just a second; if it’s Miller’s mistake to make, and the reputation of skiing is not in fact on the line, then why is the FIS coming down so hard on the U.S. Ski Team? And more importantly for our purposes here, why isn’t anyone asking that question?
Finally, Miller even made his parents upset. They worry. He should call. |
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