We continue our Datonics Research series on this year’s Super Bowl with a deep dive into a market analysis. Viewership and spending can vary widely depending on factors such as age, relationship status, and income level.
So what did we see with this year’s big game?
Viewership
The latest consumer spending data from NRF and Prosper Insights & Analytics’ 2023 Super Bowl survey found that 192.9 million U.S. adults plan to watch the Super Bowl this year. It seems that a percentage of this viewership tuned in with 36.7 million tuning in.
Adults ages 44 and under are driving the year-over-year increase in expected viewership for this year’s Super Bowl. In 2021, there was little variance between age cohorts in terms of the likelihood to watch the Super Bowl. In 2022, however, adults ages 18-34 (75 %) and adults ages 35-44 (70 %) are more likely than adults ages 45-64 (63 %) and adults ages 65 and older (62 %) to say they plan to watch the game.
Consumer Spending
Adults in the United States planned on spending an average of $85 on Super Bowl Sunday in 2023, with food and beverage purchases being the most common among those planning on watching the game. Around 15% of adults in the United States planned on throwing or attending a Super Bowl party in 2022.
Marketing during the Super Bowl presents a unique opportunity for businesses to engage with their target audience through email, social media, and digital advertising. By anticipating customer needs and providing personalized promotions, such as deals on food, drinks, and merchandise, businesses can capture their share of the audience's spending on game day. With 41% of Americans following the game on multiple devices and actively using their phones, it's important to stay relevant and adjust messaging accordingly.
The week before the Super Bowl is a prime time for purchasing a high-end, branded flat-screen TV. According to Regina Conway, a consumer expert at Slickdeals, these TVs are of better quality than those typically on sale during Black Friday and are worth the investment for their long-term value. Marketers can take advantage of this window of opportunity by targeting potential TV buyers with strategic marketing campaigns. Some ideas include:
The Commercials
The Super Bowl regularly ranks as the most-watched event in the United States year-to-year, which means the channel hosting the contest gets to charge a premium for advertising. Because of the size of the audience, brands are willing to shell out millions of dollars for just one 30-second spot during the Super Bowl. The Super Bowl commercials have become a phenomenon in their own right, with social media buzzing with speculation about the innovative ways in which big corporations will sell their products.
A 2020 survey revealed that 79 percent of viewers see the commercials as entertainment, while almost 71 percent stated that they enjoyed watching the commercials. It also seems the viewers will go to some lengths to see these commercials beyond their original air date during the big game. Companies reportedly received an estimate of $170 million worth of “in-game exposure" during this year's Super Bowl. The advertising revenue from the 2021 Super Bowl, for example, stood at a record 485 million U.S. dollars. Meanwhile, an average 30-second ad spot during the Super Bowl broadcast cost an estimated 6.5 million U.S. dollars in 2022.