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Why advertisers start planning for the Super Bowl in July

Rob Schwartz, chair of ad agency TBWA New York Group, explains why brands should prep sooner rather than later.
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Photo by Adrian Curiel on Unsplash

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For many advertisers, it’s football season. Rob Schwartz, chair of advertising agency TBWA New York Group, posted on LinkedIn last week that marketers who haven’t yet briefed their agencies on Super Bowl ads are “behind.”

A few days later, NBC said it’s sold 85% of the game’s ad inventory, with commercials costing around $6 million a pop. So if you’re planning on being in the big game, you better get your jerseys in a row.

Why so soon? Well, there are a lot of moving pieces for agencies to consider, Schwartz told Marketing Brew.

“It begins in earnest over the summer in July, because that’s the moment you’re doing your calculus between what it takes to come up with the idea, sell the idea, negotiate with the talent, and produce the idea,” he told us, adding that shooting traditionally begins in September or October, ensuring an entire rollout is ready in the lead-up to the game.

According to Schwartz, brands not only want the spot itself to be special, but also everything around it, like the prelaunch, social strategy, and behind-the-scenes content. “It’s less 30 seconds, and more like 30 days,” he said.

Plus, agencies must think about celebs: Are they available? Is the fee right? “Can the talent stay off the New York Post’s Page Six?” Schwartz joked.

But is it a risk to plan so early? You know, there was just a pandemic. “In the before times, pre-Covid, the risk was low. The 85% sell-out indicates that people are willing to accept the risk,” said Schwartz.

Speaking of which: While he’s obviously a proponent of early planning, Schwartz and TBWA have moved quickly before, notably on a Michelin commercial from 2017 that the agency put together in less than 72 hours. “Super Bowl advertising is not for the faint of heart,” Schwartz quipped.—RB

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Marketing Brew informs marketing pros of the latest on brand strategy, social media, and ad tech via our weekday newsletter, virtual events, marketing conferences, and digital guides.