Does it Pay to Release Super Bowl Ads Before the Game?

Since 1966, the Super Bowl has engaged millions of Americans who come together to eat, drink, celebrate and watch some football -- and, oh yeah, some quirky ads.
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Since its humble beginnings with 24 million viewers to today’s whopping 111 viewers -- the game has come a long way. This year, a single 30-second ad at the Super Bowl costs a minimum of $5 million -- and that’s not including paying the celebrities most brands employ. But it's not only brands spending cash. In 2016, viewers bought more than $2.9 billion worth of snacks and more than $1.2 billion on beer.
From Apple unveiling its first Macintosh computer to Katy Perry’s epic halftime show, the Super Bowl has had some major milestones. To get ready for the big day, take a look at these 20 surprising facts about the Super Bowl.
In 2016, the top 10 commercials released before the game on YouTube received 4,817,995 tweets.

About 111.9 million people watched the Super Bowl last year.

Twenty-four million people tuned into the first Super Bowl game.

The minimum cost for a 30-second Super Bowl ad is $5 million.

In 1966, a Super Bowl ad was only $37,500.

Anheuser-Busch is the Super Bowl’s exclusive beer advertiser.

Last year's Super Bowl hashtag was one of the biggest social moments of the year.

The Super Bowl is no longer just a “beer holiday.”

While beer takes the lead as the number one adult beverage of choice during the game, in 2016 20 percent of drinkers said they planned to indulge in wine and another 20 percent said they would drink some other form of liquor. Last year, up to three weeks before the game, there was a reported 9 percent spike in wine sales and an 11 percent jump in spirit sales.
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A Super Bowl ad has the ability to change someone’s perception of a brand.

On average, performers see a sales lift of 271 percent.

People spent more than $2.9 billion on snacks in 2016.

Antacid sales went up 4.5 percent after the Super Bowl in 2015.

Apple introduced the MacIntosh during the 1985 Super Bowl.

The most expensive ad ever cost $12.4 million.

Companies are willing to pay big bucks for a commercial slot during the big game. In 2011, Chrysler reported spending nearly $12.4 million on its “Imported from Detroit” ad that featured rapper Eminem.
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The average American will spend less than last year.

This year’s Super Bowl will cost Houston $5 million.

People are expected to wager more than $4 billion on the game.

Almost half of the game's viewers are female.

Katy Perry’s halftime show was the most viewed ever.

Pop star Katy Perry’s halftime show in 2014 is the most-watched in Super Bowl history -- with 118.5 million viewers. In part that's because of her stellar performance, but no one can forget the dancing “left shark,” which became a star.
The Super Bowl is broadcast in 25 languages.

Americans aren’t the only ones tuning into the big game. The Super Bowl is broadcast all over the world. For the 2014 game, International Business Times reported that more than 180 countries across the globe aired the game that year, in more than 25 languages.
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Only 43 percent of people say the football is the best part of the Super Bowl.
