Is your Super Bowl ad worth it?

Premium media placements promise big impact. Super Bowl spots, primetime NFL, major live events. But the research on whether these expensive buys actually outperform efficient reach is surprisingly mixed. We're breaking down when “premium” media is worth it and when it's just expensive.  

Premium TV placements can cost 10x more than efficient buys.

The cost difference between premium and non-premium TV is massive. Brands buying efficiently might pay $3-8 CPMs across linear and streaming. Premium placements easily run $30-80 CPMs or higher. That math adds up fast. 

Premium media works in specific scenarios. Otherwise, it's just expensive.

Premium placements aren't inherently good or bad. The effectiveness comes down to strategy and math. Here's what the research tells us: 

1. Additive, not substitutive. Premium media performs best when it adds to an always-on campaign delivering efficient reach. Replacing your efficient media strategy with premium placements usually backfires. Think of it as the cherry on top, not the entire sundae. 
   
   
2. Incremental reach matters. High-profile placements make sense when you've maxed out your audience through efficient channels. Brands spending big on TV and finding incremental reach harder to attain can benefit from premium placements that get in front of light TV viewers. But this threshold varies. It could be $50 million or $300 million depending on how efficiently you're buying.
   
   
3. Context effects are mixed. Research shows that when people are deeply engaged in content, they often feel more positively toward ads. However, ad recall can actually suffer. People absorbed in a great show may not fully process your message, even if they feel good about your brand. 
   
   
4. Creativity is the real premium. High-arousal creative doesn't require high budgets. Remember the Coinbase Super Bowl ad? It cost about $12 to make and broke their website. Smart thinking matters more than expensive production. You should bring your smartest creative to all TV placements rather than reserving it for premium inventory alone. 
   
   

Listen in on our discussion.

"Selective Exposure to Television Programmes and Advertising Effectiveness" 

This research by Claire Norris and Andrew Coleman explores how program context and viewer engagement affect advertising effectiveness. Their findings reveal the complex relationship between premium content and ad performance.  

Read the study.

Don't confuse price with value. 

Price is what you pay. Value is what you get. 

— Warren Buffett, Chairman of Berkshire Hathaway

This newsletter comes from the hosts of The Marketing Architects, a research-first show answering your biggest marketing questions. Find us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to podcasts.