How much will a 2018 Super Bowl Ad cost? A lot, that’s how much. This year, advertisers are going to spend 7.7 million dollars for a single 30-second Super Bowl commercial. That’s $256,666 per SECOND of airtime. And yes, for those of you who have been paying attention, it’s a steep climb in the price of a Big Game ad. Last year during Super Bowl LI, a half-minute ad cost only (heh… only) five million bucks. And when the first Super Bowl was played back in 1967, a commercial cost just $40,000.
Super Bowl commercial costs through the years have far outpaced inflation, and have in fact risen almost exponentially in recent years. The first million dollar Super Bowl ad came in 1995 (and was actually a $1.15 million), with costs edging up by one or two hundred thousand every year since, save for in 2002, when costs actually dropped slightly, and in 2009 and 2014, when they stayed steady.
The biggest leap in Big Game ad costs before this year was a five hundred thousand dollar jump, which we saw in 2012, 2015, 2016, and last year. But the $2.7 million price tag of a 30-second spot this year represents a truly massive jump. We’ll see who it weeds out, who stays in, and if there are any bold newcomers to this year’s high-priced but high-profile advertising extravaganza.
