The Super Bowl is a highly anticipated event. Along with the anticipation of celebrating the winning team and the half-time show, Super Bowl commercials have become the real event, as much a spectacle as the game itself.
With ads costing up to $7 million for a 30-second slot, according to Forbes, brands fight for fame before more than 100 million viewers.
Despite the cost, the iconic moments linger.
History of super bowl commercials
With viewership numbers rising every year, the pressure for businesses to produce a memorable commercial also goes up.
Viewership continues to grow with 2024 setting the record at 123 million views according to NFL Football Operations.
With guaranteed viewership of the commercials played on Super Bowl Sunday, businesses are willing to pay a high price for the precious ad time during the game.
In 1968, 60 seconds of ad time cost roughly $150,000 according to TIME Magazine.
According to AdAge, in 2024, advertisers paid on average $7 million for every 30 seconds of airtime.
In 2022, Amazon featured the most expensive Super Bowl commercial of all time. With a cost of $26 million which equals $28 million when adjusted for inflation per Qualtrics.
With prices that high, companies can only hope their ad will hit the mark with viewers.
11 most expensive Super Bowl commercial moments
The total cost has been adjusted for inflation per Qualtrics.