Super Bowl Commercial Prices

The Super Bowl has become a larger than life event. While I will be watching the biggest game of the year to see whether the Seattle Seahawks or New England Patriots will be victorious, others will be watching to see star-studded halftime entertainment or comical and thought-provoking commercials.

Since Super Bowl XVII, when Apple’s “1984″ commercial advertised the Macintosh computer by playing off George Orwell’s book “1984’’, Super Bowl commercials have increasingly become more and more creative. This has made them a big topic of conversation at work in the days following the big game.  Online and print media alike now go as far as critiquing the best and worst Super Bowl ads.

In recent years, Budweiser has been both the king of beers and the king of creative Super Bowl ads.

Ever wonder what a commercial slot during the Super Bowl costs? Well, this year the CBS TV network, which is broadcasting the game, has been asking for upwards of  $5.0 million for 30 seconds of ad time. That’s a significant increase over last year (12.5%), which sold for around $4.5 million. Note that last year’s $4.5 million rate was a 12.5% increase over the previous year of $4.0 million.  Hard to image back in the day when the first Super Bowl cost $40,000 for a 30 second ad.

But if you think that’s a lot of money, it’s nothing compared to how much is bet on the Super Bowl.

You also have to keep in mind that the $5 million asking price is just to get the 30-second slot time. It doesn’t factor in the cost of producing the commercial, which for most companies is another $1.0 million.

CBS had little trouble filling the slots for Super Bowl 50. Here’s a list of confirmed brands/companies that you can look forward to seeing in this year’s Super Bowl commercials

Here’s a detailed look at how prices have inflated over the years.

History of Super Bowl Commercial Prices (30 second ad)

1967 – $40,000
1968 – $54,000
1969 – $67,500
1970 – $78,200
1971 – $72,000
1972 – $86,000
1973 – $103,500
1974 – $107,000
1975 – $110,000
1976 – $125,000
1977 – $162,000
1978 – $185,000
1979 – $222,000
1980 – $275,000
1981 – $324,300
1982 – $345,000
1983 – 400,000
1984 – $450,000
1985 – $500,000
1986 – $550,000
1987 – $575,000
1988 – $600,000
1989 – $675,000
1990 – $700,000
1991 – $800,000
1992 – $800,000
1993 – $850,000
1994 – $900,000
1995 – $1,000,000
1996 – $1,100,000
1997 – $1,200,000
1998 – $1,300,000
1999 – $1,600,000
2000 – $2,100,000
2001 – $2,050,000
2002 – $1,900,000
2003 – $2,100,000
2004 – $2,250,000
2005 – $2,400,000
2006 – $2,500,000
2007 – $2,600,000
2008 – $2,700,000
2009 – $3,000,000
2010 – $2,800,000
2011 – $3,000,000
2012 – $3,500,000
2013 – $3,800,000
2014 – $4,000,000
2015 – $4,500,000
2016 – $5,000,000