Super Bowl Watchers to Break Spending, Viewing Records on Sunday
If you’re gearing up for the Big Game on Sunday, you’ll find yourself among 173 million others downing beers and wings and cheering for either the NY Giants or the New England Patriots.
The survey also found that young adults are more likely to be influenced by commercials, with 14.3% of 18-24 year-old viewers agreeing that the commercials influence them to buy products from the advertisers. Among other age groups, the numbers drop, with 10.4% of 25-34 year-olds, 10% of 35-44 year-olds, 7.2% of 45-54 year-olds and 6% of 55-64 year-olds saying they are influenced by the ads.
Those 173 million people, up from an estimated 71 million last year, make up the most people expected to watch the game in the eight-year history of a survey by the Retail Advertising and Marketing Association conducted by BIGinsight.
For marketers, the winning goal will come from consumer spending related to the game, also expected to reach an all-time high. The average game-watcher is expected to shell out $63.87 on related merchandise, apparel, snacks and TVs, up from $59.33 last year. Total Super Bowl spending is projected to reach $11 billion, boosted by millions of dollars spent on consumer-related promotions and marketing.
When looking at what people will buy, food and beverages tops the list at 71.3%, followed by team apparel or accessories (8.6%), decorations (6.4%), and furniture or a new entertainment center (2.4%), the study found. Some 5.1 million televisions (5.1%) will be sold specifically to watch the game, compared to 4.5 million last year and 3.6 million the year prior.
A lot of those items will be used at Super Bowl parties. Nearly 63.6 million (27.1%) are planning to attend a party, up from last year’s 61.2 million, and another 35.9 million (15.3%) plan to throw a party, also up from the 34.9 million.
And on Game Day, what about those commercials? Entertainment is the top reason people view the TV spots at 73%. And some of those viewers are paying attention, with 16.9% of respondents reporting that the commercials make them aware of the advertisers’ brand and another 8.4% say the commercials influence them to buy products from advertiser—the highest percentage reported in the survey’s history. And there are measurements marketers can generate that validate the investment.
That bodes well for Coca-Cola and other brands airing the commercials. Coca-Cola is running two spots that will drive consumers to a website where two of its iconic polar bears are watching the game in real time. Animators using a combination of traditional video gaming controllers and a proprietary PC-based interface will control the bears from New York City. After the game, Coke will also provide an app for Facebook fans to get coupons.
The survey also found that young adults are more likely to be influenced by commercials, with 14.3% of 18-24 year-old viewers agreeing that the commercials influence them to buy products from the advertisers. Among other age groups, the numbers drop, with 10.4% of 25-34 year-olds, 10% of 35-44 year-olds, 7.2% of 45-54 year-olds and 6% of 55-64 year-olds saying they are influenced by the ads.
