Big Game, Big Numbers: Consumers Will Spend $15B+ Around Super Bowl LII
By Barry Janoff
January 25, 2018: Even before the New England Patriots and Philadelphia Eagles take the field for Super Bowl LII in U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis on Feb. 4, there are a plethora of stats and figures that are defining the Big Game.
Broadcast network NBC said it anticipates more than $500 million in ad revenue, with 30-second spots going for more than $5 million.
More than 111 million people will tune in, based on audience numbers since 2010.
And Justin Timberlake will be on stage for most of the 30 minutes-plus Pepsi Half Time Show.
Now comes what might be the number with arguably the most impact of all.
People are expected to spend $15.3 billion related to the Super Bowl — up from $14.1 billion for Super Bowl LI — for parties, at restaurants, merchandise and other hoopla, according to the National Retail Federation, Washington DC, via a survey conducted by Prosper Insights & Analytics.
“Consumers are carrying strong spending momentum from the holiday season into their Super Bowl festivities,” Phil Rist, Prosper Executive vp-strategy, said in a statement.
“This is evident through increased plans for purchasing while the number of viewers remains steady with last year. Fans aren’t afraid to spend a few extra dollars to make this year’s game the best one yet,” said Rist.
People will spend an average of $81.17, up from $74.83, according to the NRF. The highest average spend will come from those aged 25-34, an average of $118.43.
By comparison, in 2017, people spent an average of $967.13 on holiday gifts, $186.39 on Mother’s Day, $136.57 on Valentine’s Day and $86.13 on Halloween, according to the NRF.
Of the 76% of those surveyed who plan to watch the game, 82% said they would purchase food and beverages, which is not only up from 80% last year but also the highest in the survey’s history.
Another 11% said they would buy team apparel or accessories, the same as in 2017 when the Patriots defeated the Atlanta Falcons in Super Bowl LI.
According to the survey, 45 million people (18% of those surveyed) will host a Super Bowl party, and 69 million (28%) plan to attend one.
Bars and restaurants will see 11 million customers (5% of those survey) attending destinations because of the Big Game.
For people staying at home or hosting a party, new TVs 98%) and decorations (8%) are part of their purchases.
When it comes to Super Bowl commercials, “Super Bowl LI was the second most-cluttered broadcast in the 51-year history of the event,” according to Kantar Media, NY.
The 51 minutes and 30 seconds of ad messages and 102 commercials between the opening kickoff and the final whistle on Fox, including a two-minute ad break in the first overtime period in Super Bowl history, trailed only behind 104 spots (47:50 commercial time) during Super Bowl XLIV (Feb. 2010, CBS).
“Consumers are carrying strong spending momentum from the holiday season into their Super Bowl festivities."
According to NRF, of those people surveyed who will be watching Super Bowl LII, 41% said the most important part is the game itself, with 24% citing the commercials and 14% there for the halftime show.
The ad roster for Super Bowl LII, still to be finalized, currently includes Anheuser-Busch, Avocados From Mexico, Coca-Cola, PepsiCo (Doritos, Mountain Dew, Pepsi), Groupon, Hyundai, Intuit, Kia, Kraft, Toyota’s Lexus (pictured), Mars’ brand M&Ms, Monster Products, Kelloggs’ brand Pringles, Squarespace, Toyota, Intunit’s Turbotax, Verizon and WeatherTech.
The survey, which asked 7,277 consumers about their Super Bowl plans, was conducted Jan. 3-10 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 1.1 percentage points, per the NRF.
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