The Tribune

By CHRIS ILLING

CCO at ActivTrades Corp

CHANGES happened for this year’s Super Bowl, the multi-billion dollar sporting event. The NFL’s grand finale is undergoing a female revolution. Because of star guest Taylor Swift, health and beauty companies are also getting involved as advertising customers for the first time ever.

In the US alone, more than 200m people were expected in front of their television screens on Sunday - representing well over half the country’s 335m inhabitants - to watch the final game of the National Football League (NFL) season. The Super Bowl is the biggest single sporting event of the year and is also one of the most economically interesting advertising places in the world.

Accordingly, many companies want to place their products as cleverly as possible during the mega event. In recent years, large corporations such as Amazon, Google and Pepsi have been among its advertising customers. But this year, the Super Bowl is experiencing something of a revolution as it suddenly attracts companies from industries that have rarely been seen before. Beauty and health companies are getting involved in the mega party.

The relationship between singer Taylor Swift, 34, and football player Travis Kelce, also 34, who made it to the Super Bowl with his team, the Kansas City Chiefs, is the reason for the sudden new advertisement boom. Due to Swift’s planned presence alone, millions of her predominantly female fans are currently avid football fans.

According to the analysis firm, Apex Marketing Group, the global star is said to have already brought in a staggering $331.5m for the NFL and her boyfriend’s team since the start of their relationship this season- for example, through Swift merchandise and increased viewership. The number of female spectators at NFL games has increased by 9 percent and is expected to be even higher for the Super Bowl.

But Swift does not even appear in the famous Super Bow half-time show. Fans instead simply hope to catch a glimpse of the singer in her box or on the field afterwards. When it became clear that Kelce’s team would play in the Super Bowl, NYX Makeup, a subsidiary of L’Oréal, bought its first Super Bowl commercial.

A 30-second commercial during the Super Bowl costs an average of $7m. A decade ago, the price was $4m. Some 20 years ago it was $2.4m. Since there is a fixed contingent of time and commercials available for each broadcast, competition is fierce. The US television network CBS, which broadcast this Sunday’s game, had already declared its advertising space sold out in November 2023. The game is expected to bring in an additional $500m for the Las Vegas economy. This includes sales from the city’s estimated 150,000 visitors, who will spend around $215m on food, hotel rooms and gaming-related merchandise.

The Super Bowl also affects other cities because fans organise parties and visit bars and restaurants. According to the National Retail Federation (NRF), total spending this year was $17.3bn. That is about $1bn more than for last year’s game. Big business for all parties involved.