In My Opinion, Mega Sports Marketing Programs Are Not Worth the Cost

One thing that is as certain as day following night, or night following day, about mega sports events is that they generate differing opinions about whether the seven-figure price of a TV commercial is money well spent.

It’s only a matter of time before the prices of TV commercials for the 2027 Super Bowl and 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games again get as much media coverage as the teams and athletes.

With the cost of advertising during mega sports events continuing to climb, the question that will again be debated among marketing specialists is: Are marketers getting their money’s worth by spending millions of dollars on a TV commercial that might be missed if a viewer leaves the room while it airs?

Marketing experts differ on the value of spending that much money on one commercial. Brand spokespeople will almost always say they’re delighted with the results. But determining the actual return can be much more complicated.

When a commodity product brand gets a quick boost from a TV ad, competitors in the same category may benefit from increased consumer interest as well. In effect, brands that do not advertise can sometimes get a free ride.

Also, the legs of a Super Bowl commercial can be short-lived because immediately after the game, American sports media turns to basketball, hockey and the beginning of baseball’s spring training. The same can be true after the closing ceremonies of an Olympics unless a brand finds ways to extend its program beyond the Games.

Some years ago, when I managed the fan balloting publicity account for baseball’s All-Star Game during the years that Gillette was the sole sponsor, the client said, “Arthur, you’re doing a fantastic job in getting the Gillette name associated with the program. But we don’t know if sponsoring the fan balloting helps sell the product any better than a Mother’s Day or Father’s Day promotion would.”

Eventually, Gillette decided that sponsoring the fan balloting was not worth the increased rights fee Major League Baseball wanted and dropped the promotion.

I had a similar conversation with a representative of a then-major sponsor of the Olympic Games who confided to me, “The only reason we keep sponsoring it is to keep our competitors from doing so.”

Which raises the question: Is it better for brands to be one of a dozen or more sponsors in a big pond, or to be the sole sponsor in a smaller one?

In a crowded advertising environment, it can also be difficult for viewers to remember which brands were associated with which commercials. And even when a commercial generates enormous attention, marketers still face the challenge of turning that moment into a lasting relationship with consumers.

That was not news to me. The multiyear baseball sports marketing campaign that I managed and mentioned earlier showed me firsthand how difficult sponsor identification could be amid the clutter of competing sports promotions, even when our program received significant earned media coverage.

Is the same true about Super Bowl and Olympics commercials? In my opinion, yes.

There is another consideration. The Super Bowl and Olympics don’t exist in a purely promotional environment. The media conversation surrounding major sporting events can include everything from the competition itself to controversies involving athletes, organizations, politics and other issues beyond a sponsor’s control.

Mega sports telecasts also have something else in common: a great many commercials, often featuring competing products, celebrities and athletes all fighting for viewers’ attention.

Even though, as a PR person, I’ve been involved in many Super Bowl and Olympics campaigns, I’ve always favored a more targeted, less expensive approach than one that simply counts eyeballs.

In my opinion, the ideal would be for a brand to be the sole sponsor of a smaller or self-created but publicizable event and supplement it with a savvy PR program that can continue well beyond a single sporting event.

A major problem with Super Bowl and Olympic publicity programs is that many can begin to look alike. To gain positive earned media coverage, PR people should develop programs that stand out from the pack. That means replacing much-copied playbook programs with original thinking.

Instead of following the same script year after year, communicators should ask what they can create that is genuinely different and interesting enough to earn attention on its own.

One example comes from a program I crafted many years ago for a client whose educational products had received little mainstream media attention.

The program attracted the attention of The Christian Science Monitor. In a July 28, 1980, article, staff writer Jim Bencivenga described the concept:

“Instead of hitting balls with bats, the youngsters swat addition, multiplication, subtraction, and division problems...”

The article described a Math Baseball League involving Major League Baseball clubs, St. Regis Paper Company and participating YMCAs, with Hall of Famer Monte Irvin serving as the league’s first commissioner.

As a former journalist, I selected the Math Baseball game from a catalog of products as the vehicle to promote St. Regis’ educational products for several reasons.

First, the appeal of a well-constructed program would not be limited to one area of the media. It could be pitched to sports writers and non-sports writers. Second, it lent itself to both print and television coverage. Third, at the time I approached Monte Irvin about serving as Math Baseball commissioner, he worked in Major League Baseball’s commissioner’s office, so the association was natural. And fourth, I knew that Major League Baseball teams were interested in positive local community programs.

That experience reinforced something I still believe today.

Creating your own newsworthy, publicizable sports marketing program can give a brand something that money alone cannot guarantee: a distinctive story, positive earned media attention and goodwill that can continue long after the final whistle.

And in my opinion, that can be a much better investment than simply buying the biggest commercial in the biggest game.