By MARY WALKER
After steering clear of Super Bowl advertising in 2013, General Motors has announced that it will purchase advertising time for Super Bowl 48, which is scheduled to broadcast on Fox on Feb. 2, 2014.
In 2013, General Motors bought no Super Bowl advertising for the game that featured the Baltimore Ravens vs. the San Francisco 49ers. At the time, the company said an increase in advertising rates was the determining factor in not buying any advertising time, according to Automotive News.
Prices to advertise during the 2013 Super Bowl broadcast neared $4 million for some 30 second slots.
Still, many observers expect the rates to stay at about that level in 2014. In a prepared statement, Tim Mahoney, chief global marketing officer for Chevrolet, said that it was more a timing issue this year.
“The timing of Super Bowl XL VIII lines up perfectly with our aggressive car and truck launch plans. The Super Bowl is a great stage for showcasing the Chevrolet brand and our newest cars and trucks,” Mahoney said.
The company has not revealed how much it plans to spend on the Super Bowl advertising.
The General Motors decision is an interesting one for business students or those looking to get into business school. It shows the importance of timing and the best way to leverage advertising dollars.
According to Automotive News, among those watching the Super Bowl will be a key demographic of men who are looking to buy new trucks, an important group to reach as General Motors prepares to launch the 2014 Chevrolet Silverado and the 2014 GMC Sierra a few months before the game.
General Motors is also hitting the market with a new Corvette Stingray, Chevrolet Camaro and SS performance sedan, according to Automotive News.
Meanwhile, Broadcasting & Cable, a website that covers the television business, reported that Fox has less than 10 advertising units left to sell for the 2014 Super Bowl, which will played in Met Life Stadium in New Jersey. Fox expected to all of the about 68 advertising units for the game well before the end of the year.
“The past years of waiting until right before the Super Bowl to buy the remaining few units are gone,” Neil Mulcahy, executive vice president of Fox Sports sales, told Broadcasting & Cable. “We will sell out the Super Bowl before Thanksgiving.”
Fox has tied in Super Bowl advertising with slots across all Fox Sports categories, including the new Fox Sports 1 network.
Mulcahy said there are three or four new advertisers, although he would not reveal who they are, according to Broadcasting & Cable. He also said that there will be a heavy automotive presence during the broadcast.
The NFL traditionally offers some of the most-watched sports broadcasts and draws some of the biggest advertising dollars. According to Broadcasting & Cable, all the networks that carry NFL games – NBC, CBS, ESPN and Fox – are reporting that they are already about 85% to 90% sold out of advertising for the 2013 season regular season games.
