This story was originally published January 23.
PepsiCo’s lemon-lime soda Starry is only one year old, but millions of US consumers will soon see its first-ever Super Bowl ad, as it battles to steal share from stalwarts like 7-Up and Sprite.
Super Bowl ads come with massive reach and a price to match. Last year’s game averaged 115 million viewers, according to Nielsen — and a 30-second spot this year costs over $7 million, up from $6.5 million in 2022.
But that price is worth it for Starry and other first-time Super Bowl advertisers, like Popeye’s, Kawasaki, and NYX Professional Makeup, all hoping to tilt the national conversation toward their new products.
“In today’s media landscape, there are very few events that can garner 100 million folks watching it, where you can transform awareness overnight,” said Sami Siddiqui, president of Popeye’s.
Popeye’s will use its Super Bowl spot to introduce five new chicken wing flavors. Kawasaki is unveiling a new product, which it didn’t disclose to Business Insider. And NYX Professional Makeup’s ad will showcase a new lip gloss called Duck Plump Extreme Plumping Gloss.
First-time advertisers are also looking beyond TV
To justify the high price of a Super Bowl ad, however, marketers invest heavily to keep the conversation going across other channels.
Starry will extend the reach of its Super Bowl spot using hundreds of versions of digital creative that will live on the brand’s TikTok account, said Michael Smith, head of brand marketing at Starry.
“Those 30 seconds represent a moment in time to put a stake in the ground for what will be much larger storytelling,” he said.
Kawasaki is supplementing its first Super Bowl ad with a nationwide tour where consumers can experience its yet-to-be-announced product, said Bob O’Brien, director of marketing for Kawasaki Motors Corp., U.S.A.
“The Super Bowl allows Kawasaki to enter millions of homes creating instant awareness for our brand and this exciting new product,” O’Brien said.
And Popeye’s, which hopes to drive people to one of its restaurants with a Super Bowl-themed promo, also hopes to extend the campaign beyond the Super Bowl. The restaurant chain plans to advertise during other live sports events like the National Collegiate Athletic Association’s March Madness tournament to reach sports fans.
“You’re seeing a lot of advertisers shift a lot of money towards live sports and other events that are live because that is probably the best way to reach that audience,” Popeye’s Siddiqui said.
Mark Gross, cofounder and chief creative officer at ad agency Highdive, said that while not all brands like extending their campaigns after the Super Bowl, he views it as key to getting the most value from the pricey ads. Highdive is working on BetMGM’s first Super Bowl ad this year.
“We’ve seen more success with ROI when brands continue to run portions of the content after the game,” he said.
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