By Bill Bradley
A Super Bowl overtime may be intense on the field, but it’s got nothing on what happens behind the scenes with the ads.
In an increasingly fragmented viewership landscape, Super Bowl commercials are more coveted than ever, with Fox selling several ads over the $8 million mark for the first time this year. And that historic demand doesn’t stop in regulation, with companies already vying for potential overtime spots in the upcoming Big Game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagle.
Overtime spots typically go for slightly less than the in-game ads, according to a source familiar with the matter; however, Fox leaves one or two potential ad slots open for the brands who want one last chance to get in the game.
“If there are 10 units to sell in overtime, we’ll sell eight in advance,” Mark Evans, executive vice president of ad sales at Fox Sports, told ADWEEK.
For those last one or two slots, the Super Bowl turns into a brand bidding war.
“If it gets close late in the game, there literally becomes like a stock market bidding war for the last spot or two for advertisers who want to get in to get the benefit of that huge rating,” Evans said. “We let those last one or two units not be sold so we can have a real-time marketplace in the fourth quarter.”
According to Evans, to help facilitate the bids, Fox has salespeople sitting with its biggest clients, whether they are in the suites or in the stadium.
“It’s happened in other Super Bowls that we could have gone to overtime but just didn’t. You’re still negotiating it,” Evans said. “So it becomes this crazy frenzy of phone calls and communication with our truck to make sure we have the commercial, that it’s cleared, and all those other things.”
And approvals are no small task. Evan said it’s a three-level process: Fox has its own standards and practices, major advertisers can’t try to sneak in other brands that didn’t buy into the game, and the NFL has to see and approve every commercial.
The game comes down to experience
Of course, the Super Bowl has only gone to overtime twice in its now-59-year history. Most recently, the game had extra minutes last year for Super Bowl 58, with the Kansas City Chiefs taking down the San Fransisco 49ers. Before that, the first overtime was in 2017 when Fox aired the Patriots’ comeback win against the Falcons.
Overtime rules have changed since 2017, moving from sudden death to now having both teams possess the ball at least once. Though that seems like it’s a positive for advertisers, Evans cautions that there are still several unknowns when it comes to overtime. For instance, an interception return would end the game, putting an immediate stop to any additional ad breaks.
For Evans, planning for the unknown comes down to years of experience broadcasting Super Bowls. The Fox Sports ad leader said he’s seen almost everything at this point, from having the first overtime game to seeing a drive last 13 minutes, which makes ads slide to different spots.
“As we sell these spots and as we set them up, the vernacular that we use—because it’s live sports and almost anything can happen—we explain those contingencies to every advertiser as we sell every unit, so there is full transparency,” Evans said.
When it comes to overtime, it’s another example of a “game within the game.”
“Those are the little things on game day that my team and I are deeply immersed in,” Evans said. “It’s super high-stress, but it’s insanely fun.”
