Why the Super Bowl Still Gets a Marketing Budget

Precision targeting can find a niche. The Super Bowl can put a brand into a shared national conversation. In this January 2019 CNBC segment, Matt Britton explains why that prospect still attracts major marketing budgets.

He sees brands leaning toward humor, positivity and entertainment in a politically charged environment. Socially conscious messages could divide viewers, making tone a consequential choice.

Celebrity casting is another theme. After men accounted for roughly three quarters of the prior year’s celebrity appearances, Matt expected more balanced representation.

Startups such as Bumble and Expensify make the investment question particularly interesting. An established advertiser like Budweiser or Doritos has a familiar reason to appear; a newer company has to consider what a large commitment can accomplish.

Matt looks beyond the 30-second broadcast. Teasers, YouTube, social sharing and other digital activity can extend the campaign. Expensify offers a specific example: reaching employees directly fits a product adopted from the bottom up, rather than exclusively through a CIO’s purchasing decision.

As viewing fragmented across Netflix, Hulu and on-demand services, simultaneous mass attention became harder to assemble. The interview examines why a concentrated moment could still have value alongside increasingly precise digital advertising.