There's going to be a record number of long ads at this Super Bowl — and it's in stark contrast with where advertising is headed

pulse

January 11, 2018 10:56 PM

Digital advertising may have encouraged companies to experiment with newer formats like six-second ads, but longer ads continue to reign supreme at the Super Bowl.

Audiences will see more long-form ads, longer than 30 seconds, than ever before this Super Bowl, according to NBC.
Less than 10 spots remain to be sold.
While big advertisers like Coca-Cola, Anheuser-Busch and Kia will be running ads, others like Honda are sitting out this year.

There is more interest in longer commercials for the upcoming Super Bowl than short-form ads from advertisers, and audiences are likely to see more long ads than ever before, according to NBC.

"You will see more longer-form, longer than 30 seconds, than you have in any other Super Bowl," Dan Lovinger, executive VP of advertising sales at NBC Universal Sports Group, said during a press call on Thursday. "Advertisers look at this as the ultimate platform to tell a story and storytelling takes a little bit of time."

The increased number of long form ads stands in contrast to the current trend for advertisers to experiment with new, shorter formats aimed at digital audiences. Both brands and TV networks like have moved toward shorter ad formats in recent months.Personal finance company SoFi, for example, purchased six-second ad spots for a Viking-Lions NFL game in late 2017.

While big advertisers like Coca-Cola, Anheuser-Busch and Kia have already announced that they will be running ads, less than 10 Super Bowl spots remain to be sold before the game on February 4. Meanwhile, others such as Honda and Fiji Water have chosen to sit out this year. Back in October 2017, Lovinger had said that only a "handful" of slots remained.

The cost of running a 30-second spot during the game is averaging $5 million, according to Lovinger, with NBC expecting to generate $500 million in ad revenue at the Super Bowl. This is inclusive of both pre and post-game units and commercials during the "This Is Us" episode following the game.

NBC is also set to fill up its coffers post the Super Bowl, with the Winter Olympics at Pyeongchang kicking off on February 9. Lovingersaid that he expects the Olympic games to exceed $900 million in national ad sales.

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