SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS RADIO) – While many will be tuning in on Sunday to watch the big game, a good portion of people are looking forward to the advertisements just as much as the game itself.
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This year for the Superbowl, companies and brands are spending more money on nostalgia-filled ads, referencing pop culture phenomena from over the decades, like the movie Clueless or the hit show, Breaking Bad.
This pivot might be a response to the current economic climate and the struggles people might be facing in the last year or so.
"The good thing about nostalgia is that it kind of brings that warm and fuzzy feeling to our consumers," said Professor Anjali Bal, an associate professor at Babson College of marketing, with a focus on arts and entertainment and sports marketing on KCBS Radio's "Ask an Expert" with Margie Shafer on Friday.
"It's a tough economic time right now for many consumers in the United States," said Bal. "Inflation is at an all-time high."
As a result, a lot of brands might be seeking to bring a certain level of happiness back into consumers' lives and their association with certain products.
This year, a lot of alcohol companies are stepping into the Superbowl advertisement game, as well as sport-betting outfits, which has become legal in various spots across the country.
And, surprisingly, some nonprofit organizations will be putting together advertisements as well.
"It's a really interesting mix this year in terms of who’s choosing to spend," she said. "And given the exorbitant prices of the 30-second ads – about $7 million an ad – that is a huge deal to see all these kinds of companies coming in and choosing to spend."
There isn't necessarily one demographic being targeted by most of the advertisements, but some brands are making surprising choices.
"The first ever nonalcoholic beer ad in the Superbowl is actually going to be this year," said Bal. "And that’s Heineken."
According to Bal, this campaign might be targeting Generation Z, which seems to be less interested in consuming alcohol.
The sports betting outfits seem likely to go after a younger demographic as well, coming in as a frontrunner in ads instead of all the crypto companies last year.
"I think the fact that crypto isn't there is very telling because it was definitely the theme of 2022," she said.
There have since been a lot of market challenges with crypto and the awareness the industry was seeking last year might not be as important now.
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