From Touchdown to Fumble: Why Traditional Super Bowl Advertising Fails to Meet Data-Driven Marketers' Demands

This IDC Perspective encourages an evolution from traditional/linear TV (e.g., Super Bowl ads) to connected television (CTV) as a data-driven marketing strategy. The 2024 Super Bowl attracted an estimated 123.4 million viewers, offering brands a broad exposure opportunity. However, traditional Super Bowl advertising is increasingly misaligned with data-driven marketing trends. Despite the potential for massive reach and memorable moments, the high costs, competition for attention, and lack of precise audience targeting make it a risky investment. The document suggests that brands should reconsider their excitement around Super Bowl advertising and explore alternative mediums that leverage innovative technologies for more effective audience targeting and higher returns on advertising spend. Connected television is highlighted as a promising alternative, offering targeted reach, cost-effectiveness, flexibility, and measurable results. CTV platforms provide extensive data and viewer insights, enabling brands to deliver relevant ads to specific demographics. The document concludes that brands should focus their strategies around new adtech to improve return on advertising spend, including investing in areas like CTV platforms, programmatic advertising tools, customer data platforms, and ID resolution."Traditional Super Bowl advertising is increasingly out of sync with data-driven marketing trends, necessitating a shift toward innovative, technology-leveraged mediums." - Roger Beharry Lall, research director, Advertising Technologies and SMB Marketing Applications, IDC