Local Super Bowl advertising at a glance

Medialife

Automotive was the No. 1 category in the top 100 television markets

 

By Bill Cromwell

February 12, 2016

        

By now the Super Bowl’s national ads have been dissected to death.

So how about a glance at the local ads that ran during the game?
Priced substantially lower than the $5 million pricetag attached to CBS’s national broadcast, local Super Bowl advertising is nonetheless a high-demand commodity.

Each affiliate got about 5 minutes of time, according to Kantar Media, which analyzed data from the top 100 markets.

It found similarities in the top ad categories between the national and local advertisers, with automotive a big one. Seventy-eight markets had an auto ad, with Ford the most common buyer, followed by Toyota and Chevrolet.

Interestingly, Ford and Chevrolet did not air ads in the game nationally.
Sixty-one markets had restaurant ads, from 29 different brands. Jack in the Box had the biggest presence, with 17 ads, followed by Arby’s and Carl’s Jr. at 10.

Kantar noted that in smaller markets, hospitals and medical clinics had more ads.
Of course, the game took place just days before the New Hampshire primary and weeks before the one in South Carolina, and that was reflected in the advertising. Thirteen ads in South Carolina were for presidential candidates.