Electric Vehicles, Crypto-Currency, Celebrities and Animals Starred in Super Bowl LVI.

Advertisers paid $7 million for a 30 second commercial in Super Bowl LVI. That was a 27% increase since last year.

While that sounds very expensive, consider that an estimated 117 million people watched the game compared to only 16 million Americans who watched the opening ceremonies of the Winter Olympics in Beijing. Also consider half of Generation Z and 55% of Millennials say Super Bowl ads affect their purchasing behavior after the game.

With so much at stake, the quality and impact of TV commercials is extremely important. RIESTER founder and CEO Tim Riester says that limiting risk is why many advertisers return to themes that have worked for them in previous Super Bowls such as the Budweiser “Clydesdales” and Amazon’s “Alexa,” but this year the iconic Clydesdales did not deliver.

While Super Bowl LVI included those familiar advertisers and themes, it was also different. This year the Super Bowl commercials reflected a new, post-pandemic world with greater diversity, multiple electric vehicle and crypto-currency advertisers. Turkish Airlines and Disney + provided messages with tremendous appeal to families, while Amazon Alexa’s “Mind Reader” commercial and Uber’s “Eats Not Eats” commercial delighted and entertained young adults.

Watch Tim Riester’s interview from this morning on 3TV for more about the winners and losers in the high stakes game of Super Bowl advertising.