…The Superbowl Is Almost The Greatest Spectacle On Earth
1. Behind the World Cup’s global audience of over one billion, the Superbowl is one of the most watched sporting events on the planet. According to the Retail Advertising and Marketing Association, 158 million people will watch this year’s game, most of whom are in the U.S. Compare this to the 43 million viewers of last week’s State of the Union Address which was carried by 7 English and 3 Spanish language networks!
2. The pre-game hype is deafening. It isn’t long after the Conference Championships end that the media machine starts. On the day of the big game, it is easy to watch coverage all day and well after the game ends. This year in particular has been extremely busy for the press, and paparazzi, as the game starts with an undefeated Patriots, another Manning looking for a Superbowl ring, a star quarterback with a bad ankle and a hot girlfriend that may or may not be a distraction.
3. Even though the U.S. looks like it is headed for a recession, consumers will spend nearly $10 billion on Superbowl-related spending. The National Retail Federation, citing the Super Bowl Consumer Intentions and Actions Survey, noted that sales will be highest on new televisions and furniture, with consumers planning to purchase 3.9 million televisions and 1.8 million pieces of furniture.
4. You can’t argue against the spectacle, and controversy, of the half-time show. While things have been toned down in the past few years, highlights include the Janet Jackson Incident , Prince’s phallic profile, Michael Jackson and 3,500 local children in Super Bowl XXVII, and a performance by The New Kids On The Block during Superbowl XXV. Classic low-points in Superbowl history!
5. Arguably the best part of the whole game are the commercials. In between the hot-air of commentators and pundits, and what is often a boring display of football, the most memorable moments always seem to be the commercials. I suppose they should be given the amount of money getting thrown around - during the 2007 tilt, total advertising spending reached $162 million! The same survey by Retail Advertising notes that 41.5 million people watch the game because of the commercials.
For a run-down of 2007 commercials, go here. And here for this year’s.
Update: AOL has a better link for the 2008 ads here.
