Yahoo Lifestyle ScarJo and Colin Jost Star in the Most Expensive Super Bowl Ad Ever
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It’s time for the most-watched television event of the year: The Super Bowl. For many people, that means watching the Chiefs vs. the Eagles show down in a rematch of the 2023 Super Bowl. But for non-football fans (myself included), it means something even better: Perusing the Super Bowl snack spread and watching the commercials.
It’s like the Olympics of advertising. Beer brands, car companies and food products all compete to be the best Super Bowl commercial on air while we rate their performance. Who cares about the score of the game? I want to see what Doritos is doing while I eat more bean dip than is good for me.
With 123.7 million people watching the last Super Bowl, advertising air time doesn’t come cheap. So how much do Super Bowl commercials actually cost? And what is the most expensive Super Bowl commercial of all time? We'll give you a hint: It's pretty funny, incredibly expensive and features a real-life married celebrity couple.
How much do Super Bowl commercials cost?
Commercials frequently come in standard lengths of 15, 30, or 60 seconds. The average length of a Super Bowl ad is 30 seconds, so that’s how the price of a Super Bowl commercial is measured, regardless of actual length.
It’s cheaper to advertise before or after the game. Before kickoff, a 30-second commercial will cost $4 million. After the trophy is handed over and the confetti cannons fire, a commercial will cost $4.5 million. But to advertise during the big game? That will nearly double the price.
At the first ever Super Bowl in 1967, a 30-second ad slot cost only $37,500. Adjusted for inflation, that would be $352,195.73 today.
Prices have skyrocketed since. When the Eagles and Chiefs kick off Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans, 30 seconds of advertising will cost at least $7 million, with some companies paying upwards of $8 million. No pressure, but that’s over $233,333 per second. Look away to scoop some buffalo dip and you’ll miss a couple hundred thousand dollars worth of advertising! It’s a staggering 21,233% increase from the price of an ad during the first Super Bowl.
What is the most expensive Super Bowl ad ever?
With those crazy advertising prices, what is the most expensive Super Bowl ad ever? As of 2024, the winner is … Amazon Alexa! Starring Scarlett Johansson and her husband Colin Jost, Alexa’s 2022 “Mind Reader” commercial is the most expensive Super Bowl spot to date. Clocking in at 130 seconds, it cost a whopping $26 million to run.
The commercial imagines what it would be like if Alexa could read your mind. The funny ad quickly shows it’s a bad idea as Alexa acts on the unflattering thoughts of the real-life married couple. When ScarJo has morning breath, Alexa orders mint mouthwash, extra strength. When Colin Jost drones on and on over breakfast, Alexa runs the blender to drown him out. And Alexa helpfully sets a reminder for Colin to fake his own death before the opening night of Scarlett's next show.
It’s a comical look at marriage that ultimately decides Alexa is best left to following commands rather than mind reading.
The “Mind Reader” ad has taken the crown for most expensive Super Bowl commercial since it aired in 2022. With how advertising prices continue to increase, we’ll have to wait and see if a new commercial for Super Bowl LIX can top its $26 million budget.
We’ll be watching!
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