• by Raju Malhotra , February 1, 2016

For capturing the attention of millions at once, nothing comes close to the Super Bowl. Last year’s game averaged 114.4 million viewers per minute, according to NBC. As viewership has grown nearly every year since 2002, Super Bowl 50’s audience is on track to be the largest ever.

But, I have to wonder: Is it really worth the expense?  

Naturally, brands are jumping onboard again, to the tune of $5 million for each 30-second TV spot. It’s the highest price tag ever for a marketing channel that’s fundamentally the same as it’s been for the past 50 years.

In return, they’ll reach an audience whose size is unrivaled on traditional channels and comprises a variety of demographics.

For general metrics like brand recall and favorability, this can be a major boon. Consider the positive buzz last year for Loctite, the glue company that spent its entire marketing budget on a spot. It also gives brands the chance to boost or shift the direction of their consumer story. Humor and sentimentality being the safest routes; attempts at shock value, like last year’s Nationwide ad, can sometimes go terribly wrong.

Let’s face it: Super Bowl is a tale of the “haves” versus the “have-nots.” A good many brands just can’t pay the price of admission.   

That said, brands that can’t afford a Super Bowl spot shouldn’t get discouraged. You are in good company. For all the benefits of a well-executed Super Bowl ad, there are signs they don’t achieve every marketing goal. Studies from Genesis Media and Communicus found that Super Bowl ads in previous years were poor at driving purchases and purchase intent. Their impact on recall and brand favorability are suspect.

Make no mistake: Super Bowl ads are powerful. But marketers can do lot more with their budgets — and for much longer.

So, I say let’s divide the house — those in the marketing community who want to go big during the big game versus those that would rather use their money slowly and steadily over next few months instead.

What’s certain for both is that you can get extensive reach either way.

With a TV commercial during the Super Bowl, you are making a statement and getting to millions at the same time. I have always felt that there is always an expiration date for a Super Bowl ad. Some expire 15 seconds after the commercial has aired. Some last a bit longer. Of course, you would hope your commercial is the darling on social media for days to come.

Or you take your budget online. Use it to onboard your customer data online and activate an ongoing digital campaign. You can tell personalized stories across devices, media and channels. You can engage current customers differently than prospects, with measurable impact from impressions to conversions.

The Super Bowl spot captures a moment in time for a brand. Conversely, digital ads can get smarter over time. As more data points are associated with each customer, messaging can be refined against new life events, purchases and content consumption, driving ongoing one-to-one conversations—not just once a year, but metronomically throughout the year. For brands, that means that every day is game day.

It will be exciting to watch the Super Bowl and its commercials. They might be the last link to the “Golden Age” with lavish productions and A-list celebrities. And the media will have a field day with them. But today, I am even more excited to see which brands augment their 30-second commercials with digital channels, and which brands eschew the game entirely to devote their marketing spend to digital. A well-run, cross-channel marketing campaign might not get brands into the headlines, but it’s more likely to make an impact on their bottom lines.