Super Bowl 2016:
A Review of the Advertising,
Pricing, and Promotional Activity
Prior to the Big Game
© 2016 Market Track. Private and Confidential
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Super Bowl 2016
A look from the consumer’s perspective (Budweiser)
Market Track monitors all advertising, promotions, and pricing that impacts a consumer’s
awareness of, preference for, and decision to purchase a particular brand, product, or
service. In this MT360 Series, we will review the advertising, promotions, and pricing that
influenced consumers both as they prepared for, and while watching the big game.
© 2016 Market Track. Private and Confidential
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Source: Market Track Advertising and Promotional Data
Market Track Advertising Influence Model
The media
landscape is
changing—
there is
opportunity
to influence
shoppers
throughout
the entire
purchase
journey
through
message
amplification
or targeted
segmentation
based on
media type
usage.
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Online Video
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Online Display
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Radio
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Social Media
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Web Promos
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Opt-In Email
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Mobile Ads
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FSIs/Coupons
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Print Circulars
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Television
© 2016 Market Track. Private and Confidential
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Methodology
Section 1: Overview of Super Bowl TV Commercials
 Review of all TV advertisements that aired nationally during the
Super Bowl broadcast
 Showcase best-in-class use of Social Media in support of Super
Bowl TV advertisements
Section 2: TV Pricing Analysis
 Super Bowl vs. Black Friday TV Price Comparison
 Super Bowl TV size comparisons
 TV online price trend for hot TV models
Section 3: Key takeaways
 Planning recommendations for Super Bowl 2017 and all events inbetween
For more information on which advertisers, manufacturers, brands, and retailers were
included in this analysis, feel free to reach us with any questions at
[email protected]
© 2016 Market Track. Private and Confidential
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Section 1
Overview of Super Bowl TV Commercials
© 2016 Market Track. Private and Confidential
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By the Numbers…
72% of Super Bowl commercials linked to social or digital
media this year via an advertised hashtag, URL, or other
social tie, drawing consumers into the viewing experience
2,640* total seconds—or about 45 minutes—of TV
commercial air time during Super Bowl 50
$440,000,000* of total estimated Super Bowl TV ad spend
57* different brands advertised across 35 different
categories
49.0 average overnight TV rating, down 1.4% from last year
(various sources citing Nielsen)
69* total unique TV commercials aired during the game
(*excl. CBS, CBS Sister Networks, and NFL promos)
© 2016 Market Track. Private and Confidential
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Super Bowl advertisers targeted the
“always-connected” consumer
72%
of Super Bowl commercials
this year linked to digital
media, either through a
hashtag, a URL, or another
call to action for
consumers.
According to Market
Track’s Shopper Insight
Series survey from January
2016, a large segment of
consumers are connected
to other devices while
watching TV, and have
sought more information on
a TV commercial online
through those devices
© 2016 Market Track. Private and Confidential
When watching TV, what other devices are you typically
using?
46%
46%
30%
23%
4%
Smartphone
Laptop
Tablet
Desktop
Smartwatch
In the past 12 months, have you looked for more
information on something you saw in a TV commercial on
your smartphone, tablet, laptop, or other device?
65%
35%
Yes
No
Source: Market Track Shopper Insight Series Survey Data
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Super Bowl advertisers used social media to
capture consumer attention early
An unprecedented number of brands teased their Super Bowl ads in social
media to build excitement around the big game, and to support the TV
investment they made through other media channels
February 4
February 1
February 1
February 3
© 2016 Market Track. Private and Confidential
Source: Market Track Social Data
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Top Super Bowl Advertisers
TV Commercials (During Game Only)
Top Ten Super Bowl TV Advertisers (Various Metrics)
Estimated TV Ad Spend
Brand
Hyundai
Jeep
LG Electronics
Budweiser
T-Mobile
Toyota
Estimated
Spend
Brand
$20,000,000Hyundai
$20,000,000Jeep
$20,000,000LG Electronics
$15,000,000Budweiser
$15,000,000T-Mobile
$15,000,000Toyota
17 advertisers tied at
$10,000,000
Besides CBS, Hyundai was the only
company to run three TV spots during
the Super Bowl broadcast—they ran
two 30-second spots and one
60-second spot.
Total Time On-Air
Air Time
(seconds)
120
120
120
90
90
90
17 advertisers tied at 60 seconds
of air time
Three of the top six advertisers during
the Super Bowl were automobile
manufacturers in Hyundai, Jeep, and
Toyota.
Both Budweiser ads ran in the second
half, yet Anheuser-Busch also had
Shock Top and Bud Light ads in the
first half. Combined, Anheuser-Busch
spent more on TV ads across their
brands than any other company.
• *Spend estimates for TV Advertising are derived by first performing a hands-on review of
advertising as it runs, and then leveraging a variety of resources to apply reasonable cost
estimates to the advertising activity observed.
• **Estimated spend for CBS, CBS Sister Networks, and the NFL were omitted as they were
the Super Bowl presenting organizations.
© 2016 Market Track. Private and Confidential
Source: Market Track Broadcast Data
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Social brings Super Bowl viewers into the
Advertisement
“Bud Light Party Post”
Super Bowl TV Commercial
Bud Light built awareness
around their “The Bud Light
Party” campaign through
multiple social media outlets
in the two weeks leading up
to the Big Game.
2/7
“The Bud Light Party Is Coming”
Online Video - YouTube
1/20
© 2016 Market Track. Private and Confidential
“The Bud Light Party Teaser 2”
Online Video - Facebook
“Bud Light Party Post”
Online Display - Facebook
1/31
2/3
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Source: Market Track Advertising Data
Super Bowl Commercial Timeline
1st Quarter
Acura
Advil
Apartments.com
Audi
Buick
Disney
Dollar Shave Club
Doritos
Epic War (Mobile Strike)
Esurance
Hass Avocados
Hyundai (2)
Intel
Marmot
McDonald's
Michelob Ultra
Mountain Dew Kickstart
Paramount
PayPal
Quicken Loans
Shock Top
Snickers
Social Finance (SoFi)
Squarespace
Taco Bell
Universal
2nd Quarter
20th Century Fox
AstraZeneca
Bud Light
Coca-Cola
Hyundai
Paramount
Persil
Skittles
T-Mobile
Toyota
Weathertech
Halftime
Amazon
Jeep
Live Nation
Pepsi
The No More Project
Legend
Commercial presence in >1 quarter
Commercial presence in 1 quarter
**Source: Market Track Broadcast Data
**Ads for CBS, CBS Sister Networks, and the NFL were
omitted as they were the Super Bowl presenting
organizations
© 2016 Market Track. Private and Confidential
3rd Quarter
20th Century Fox
Budweiser
Doritos
Fitbit
Heinz
Honda
Intuit (2)
LG Electronics
MINI Cooper
Nestle
Pokemon
Wix.com
Xifaxan 550
4th Quarter
Axe
Budweiser
Colgate
Esurance
Jeep
Jublia
Kia
LG Electronics
Schick
SunTrust Banks
T-Mobile
Universal
Anheuser-Busch advertised at
least one of their brands in
every quarter of Super Bowl
50.
An estimated $175,000,000
was spent on ads airing during
the first quarter—>60% more
than any other quarter.
Source: Market Track Broadcast Data11
Top Advertised Categories
Automotive
Automotive companies spent more on TV advertising for the Super
Bowl than any other industry at an estimated $100 million
Toyota, Jeep, and Kia were the three auto companies that
remained on the Super Bowl ad slate from last year. Hyundai, Audi,
Honda, Acura, Buick, and MINI did not advertise in 2015
Super Bowl 2015 - $99 million
Brand
Toyota
Jeep
Nissan
BMW
Dodge
Fiat
Kia
Lexus
Mercedes Benz
Estimated TV Ad Spend
$18,000,000
$13,500,000
$13,500,000
$9,000,000
$9,000,000
$9,000,000
$9,000,000
$9,000,000
$9,000,000
**Source: Market Track Broadcast Data
Super Bowl 2016 - $100 million
Brand
Hyundai
Jeep
Toyota
Audi
Honda
Kia
Acura
Buick
MINI Cooper
Estimated TV Ad Spend
$20,000,000
$20,000,000
$15,000,000
$10,000,000
$10,000,000
$10,000,000
$5,000,000
$5,000,000
$5,000,000
= did not advertise during Super Bowl last year
**Estimated spend for CBS, CBS Sister Networks, and the
NFL were omitted as they were the Super Bowl presenting
organizations
© 2016 Market Track. Private and Confidential
Source: Market Track Broadcast Data
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Social Brings Super Bowl Viewers into the
Advertisement
“Ryanville”
Super Bowl TV Commercial
Hyundai’s “Ryanville”
campaign started
teasing out on
January 26th on
Twitter and
Facebook, followed
by an early release
on February 1st.
2/7
“Ryanville” Teaser - Facebook
1/26
© 2016 Market Track. Private and Confidential
“Ryanville” Teaser - Twitter
“Ryanville” Released - YouTube
2/1
2/1
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Source: Market Track Advertising Data
Section 2
Review of TV promotions and pricing for Super Bowl 50
© 2016 Market Track. Private and Confidential
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By the Numbers…
Online prices for TVs were 5% higher, on average, than
on Black Friday (among 86 TV models promoted in
circulars the week before Super Bowl 50)
Retailers offered 16% more promotional offers on TVs
the week before Super Bowl than on Black Friday 2015
The average circular discount for TVs the week before
Super Bowl was 31%, only slightly lower than the 37%
average on Black Friday
$1,083.64, the average promoted price for TVs in
circulars the week prior to Super Bowl, was over $400
more than the average promoted price of TVs on Black
Friday
 The difference in price was attributed to the promotion of larger TVs for
the Super Bowl—retailers promoted 49 more TVs 50” or larger for the
Super Bowl than for Black Friday
© 2016 Market Track. Private and Confidential
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Black Friday online prices lower than
Super Bowl…but not by much
Online Pricing Index Trend for TVs
Average Online Price = 100% on 10/1
100%
After Black Friday, however, the best prices
on TVs could be found before the Super
Bowl—better prices on average than Cyber
Week or pre-Christmas
98%
96%
94%
92%
90%
88%
86%
84%
82%
Online prices reached
their lowest on Black
Friday for 86 TV
models promoted in
circulars the week
before Super Bowl
80%
© 2016 Market Track. Private and Confidential
Source: Market Track eCommerce Pricing Data
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…but, better prices could be found before
Super Bowl on certain high-end TV models
Many LG, Sony, and Samsung high-end 60”+ TVs could be found at or
lower than Black Friday online prices in the week before Super Bowl
Online Price Trend Index – Select LG, Sony, and Samsung models
Average Online Price = 100% on 10/1
120%
110%
100%
LG 60UF7700
90%
LG 65UF9500
Sony XBR65X900B
Sony XBR65X930C
80%
Samsung UN60JU6500
Samsung UN65JS8500
70%
60%
© 2016 Market Track. Private and Confidential
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Source: Market Track eCommerce Pricing Data
Lower price tags and deeper discounts
on TVs during Black Friday
Circular Promoted Prices for TVs
Black Friday vs. Sunday Prior to Super Bowl 2016
Average
Depth of Discount
Averaged
Promoted Price
Black Friday
(11/27/2015)
37%
$631.19
Super Bowl
(1/31/2016)
31%
$1,083.64
Event
Best Buy promoted
three TVs on their
Super Bowl circular
front page priced at
least $200 higher than
their highest priced
TV on their Black
Friday circular cover.
11/26/2015
1/31/20165
© 2016 Market Track. Private and Confidential
The average
promoted price for
TVs during the Super
Bowl was much
higher than Black
Friday due to the
promotion of larger,
higher quality TVs to
meet the gameviewing needs of
consumers.
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Source: Market Track Promotional Data
Retailers promoted larger TVs for Super
Bowl than for Black Friday
Circular Promotions for TVs by Screen Size
Black Friday vs. Sunday Prior to Super Bowl 2016
TV Sizes (in)
20
24
28
32
39
40
42
43
48
49
50
55
58
60
65
70
75
Black Friday Super Bowl
(11/27/15)
(1/31/2016)
1
4
3
20
1
22
0
13
10
8
17
32
0
11
18
1
3
0
0
2
16
3
14
1
9
10
5
18
49
1
16
38
2
7
Difference
-1
-4
-1
-4
2
-8
1
-4
0
-3
1
17
1
5
20
1
4
Summary
22 FEWER TV
promotions for
TVs smaller
than 50"
Retailers skew
heavily towards
promoting larger
screen sizes
before Super
Bowl compared
to Black Friday
49 MORE TV
promotions for
TVs 50" or
larger
Source: Market Track Promotional Data
© 2016 Market Track. Private and Confidential
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…and like online, select large TV models
saw better discounts before Super Bowl
TV manufacturers
should be prepared to
offer some of their best
discounts of the YEAR
leading up to the Super
Bowl, particularly on
larger, higher-quality
models.
Source: Market Track Promotional Data
© 2016 Market Track. Private and Confidential
Both LG and Samsung
saw some of their highend models promoted
at a better average
discount for the Super
Bowl than for Black
Friday (highlighted
green in the table).
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Section 3
Key takeaways from the advertising, promotions, and pricing
leading up to and during Super Bowl 50
© 2016 Market Track. Private and Confidential
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Taking Action
Below are the key observations from the advertising, promotions,
and pricing for Super Bowl 2016, and what it means for advertising
strategy in 2016:
Social media was used more than ever by Super Bowl advertisers to build
awareness and excitement for their in-game TV commercials

What it means: For key events throughout 2016, advertisers need visibility into competitive
advertising in the fast-moving social and digital channels to understand the full view of activity that
may affect the impact of their own advertising.
Advertisers used more interactive advertising tactics in Super Bowl TV ads this
year

What it means: Differentiating ad messaging is difficult to do in an environment that is
continuously growing more competitive. Nearly 75% of Super Bowl TV ads included an interactive
element—a hashtag, a link to Facebook, or a URL—that enabled connected consumers to expand
their exposure to ads they enjoyed during the game.
For retailers, lowest price isn’t always the central focus around key events.
Promoted prices for TVs were much higher leading up to the Super Bowl than
leading up to Black Friday

What it means: Know your audience. Super Bowl TV shoppers will be much more likely to
consider product quality and screen size than would a Black Friday shopper, who is out to get the
deal of a lifetime.
© 2016 Market Track. Private and Confidential
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Thank You!
For more information on receiving post-event reports tailored to
your business, reach out to your Market Track account
representative, or reach us at:
[email protected]
© 2016 Market Track. Private and Confidential
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