Super Bowl commercials are ridiculously expensive, with top brands making heavy investments to promote their messages on a platform that easily lures more than 100 million viewers. The 2024 Super Bowl edition is no exception, with multiple reports suggesting that a 30-second commercial comes at a cost of roughly USD 7 million! Startling, isn’t it? These high-quality ads consumed by an astonishing number of viewers easily become viral – talk about marketing at its finest. Let’s take you through the 10 most expensive Super Bowl advertisem*nts ever to be produced in the history of the American sporting event.
Did you know that there has been a whopping 55% increase in the cost of Super Bowl ads since 2019? The price of a 2022 Super Bowl 30-second spot was about USD 6.5 million, while the 2021 edition cost about USD 5.5 million for a 30-second ad. As for who purchased the most expensive commercial in the history of the Super Bowl as of 2024, Amazon takes the credit for USD 26 million a spot. Now that’s a lot of money spent on Super Bowl ads. Without further ado, let’s go through the list.
10 most expensive Super Bowl commercials of all time
Marca recently listed the costliest and most high-budget commercials ever made for the Super Bowl.
1. Alexa: “Mind Reader”
Length of the commercial: 130 seconds
Cost: USD 26 million or USD 6.5 million per 30 seconds
Year: 2022
Real-life couple Scarlett Johansson and Colin Jost star in this 2022 Super Bowl ad for Amazon, which stars Alexa as a mind reader. High on humour, the ad taps into the disadvantages artificial intelligence (AI) might play in reading your thoughts.
2. General Motors: “No Way Norway”
Length of the commercial: 130 seconds
Cost: USD 22 million or USD 5.5 million per 30 seconds
Year: 2021
In this commercial, General Motors tapped in A-listers like Kenan Thompson, Awkwafina, as well as Will Ferrell to take an adventurous journey to Norway. The motto of this ad is to encourage the use of electric vehicles, which are very popular among Norwegians. It was intended to excite a new generation of vehicle buyers as well as promote EV adoption.
3. Cadillac: “ScissorHandsFree”
Length of the commercial: 130 seconds
Cost: USD 22 million or USD 5.5 million per 30 seconds
Year: 2021
A story drawn from an iconic piece of pop-culture history, this Edward Scissorhands-inspired ad features Winona Ryder and Timothee Chalamet. ScissorHandsFree introduces us to Edgar Scissorhands, the son of Edward and Kim, who overcomes a set of challenges with the help of the all-electric Cadillac LYRIQ.
4. Google: “Loretta”
Length of the commercial: 90 seconds
Cost: USD 16.8 million or USD 5.6 million per 30 seconds
Year: 2020
A commercial that’ll leave you teary-eyed, Google’s Loretta tells the true story of an elderly man remembering his late wife with the help of Google Assistant. The ad takes viewers through old photographs of the couple, as the man recalls their favourite memories together. Google emphasised how its products can help people navigate their everyday lives, and also cherish the golden moments of the past.
5. Amazon: “Before Alexa”
Length of the commercial: 90 seconds
Cost: USD 16.8 million or USD 5.6 million per 30 seconds
Year: 2017
Another amazing production promoting Amazon’s voice assistant, Before Alexa is a humorous take on what life was like before voice assistants such as Alexa were invented. Featuring talk show host Ellen DeGeneres as well as actress Portia de Rossi, this epic commercial played in front of a 150-million-strong audience on Super Bowl Sunday.
6. 84 Lumber: “The Journey Begins”
Length of the commercial: 90 seconds
Cost: USD 16.2 million or USD 5.4 million per 30 seconds
Year: 2017
Advertising agency Brunner caused quite a stir with this ad, which depicts a Mexican mother and daughter embarking on an arduous journey (seemingly leaving their country of origin). The commercial served as a launch pad for 84 Lumber’s 2017 recruitment campaign.
The advertisem*nt caused controversy for dealing with the sensitive topic of immigration under the leadership of Donald Trump. Trump, whose hard line on immigration was well-known, had promised to build a border fence with Mexico to stop the flow of illegal immigrants as well as drugs.
7. Ford: “Go Further”
Length of the commercial: 90 seconds
Cost: USD 16.2 million or USD 5.4 million per 30 seconds
Year: 2017
Ford’s commercial is all about listening to your inner voice that propels you to ‘Go Further’. Tapping Bryan Cranston to star in this ad, Ford sought to portray the various benefits of their vehicles – from ride-sharing to self-driving cars as well as electric motors.
8. Chrysler: “America’s Import”
Length of the commercial: 120 seconds
Cost: USD 16 million or USD 4 million per 30 seconds
Year: 2014
Bob Dylan headlines this commercial promoting the 2015 Chrysler 200 sedan. Continuing Chrysler’s “Imported from Detroit” theme, but with a new tagline ‘America’s Import’, this ad plays up patriotism by expounding on the pride, hard work, and cultural identity of America. Bob Dylan’s commanding cadence serves to remind the viewers: ‘We will build your car’.
9. Amazon: “Not Everything Makes The Cut”
Length of the commercial: 90 seconds
Cost: USD 15.6 million or USD 5.2 million per 30 seconds
Year: 2019
This Super Bowl ad is filled with celebrity star power, featuring Harrison Ford, Forest Whitaker, Ilana Glazer, Abbi Jacobson, and Nasa twins Mark and Scott Kelly. A touch of irony pervades the commercial, as Amazon stresses that while Alexa might be an amazing product, not everything the company comes up with is a hit.
10. Kia: “Give It Everything”
Length of the commercial: 90 seconds
Cost: USD 15.6 million or USD 5.2 million per 30 seconds
Year: 2019
A loving ode to the working class as well as ‘The Great Unknowns’ Scholarship Fund, Kia celebrated its 2020 Telluride SUV in this enjoyable ad. The ad is focused on the residents of West Point, Georgia, which is home to the Kia plant that made the new Telluride SUV. Instead of hiring a celebrity, Kia thoughtfully donated money towards a scholarship program that helps underprivileged kids get access to higher education.
This article first appeared on Lifestyle Asia Hong Kong.
(Main and featured image: IMDb)
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
– What is a Super Bowl commercial?
Super Bowl commercials are high-profile ads that feature in the US TV broadcast of the Super Bowl, the championship game of theNational Football League.
– Who will have Super Bowl commercials in 2024?
This year’s Super Bowl commercials are featuring companies like Budweiser as well as T-Mobile.
– How much is a Super Bowl ticket?
While the tickets come in quite a price range, the average cost per ticket sold is $8,400, according to StubHub. The prices can range from USD 6,875 to as high as USD 22,907.
– What is the Super Bowl?
The Super Bowl is the annual league championship game of the US National Football League (NFL).
