The Super Bowl is one of the most anticipated sporting events of the year. The champions of the National Conference and the American Conference go head to head in the most important football game of the season. It's a pure spectacle for millions and millions of fans around the world. This coming Sunday, the Philadelphia Eagles and the Kansas City Chiefs will face off at State Farm Stadium in Glendale (Arizona) to succeed the Los Angeles Rams as champions. The venue can hold up to 63,400 spectators.
The importance of the Super Bowl is not only in sports-related. Companies take advantage of the event to reach millions of viewers by paying to display their brands on advertising panels throughout the stadium.
The cost for each commercial in the Super Bowl is astronomical. We are talking millions of dollars. The price varies depending on different aspects, such as the duration of the spot or the order in which an advertiser wants it to be aired.
It gets more expensive every year. The marketing agency AdAge estimated that a company will pay around $7 million dollars for a 30-second spot in Super Bowl LVII, half a million more than last year. Below, we have compiled the five most expensive ads in history.
1. Amazon: 'Before Alexa'
Jeff Bezos paid a total of $16.8 million for his Before Alexa spot promoting his virtual voice assistant. It was 90 seconds long and aired during Super Bowl LIV.
The commercial starred actress and TV host Ellen Lee DeGeneres and her wife, Portia de Rossi. They narrate what their lives were like before Alexa.
2. Google: 'Loretta'
The most famous search engine on the planet spent the same amount as Amazon for its 90-second Loretta commercial: $16.8 million. It could be seen in the same edition of the Super Bowl as Jeff Bezos' company.
Google wanted to show a sentimental story, one of a grandfather recalling his best memories with his late wife, Loretta, thanks to Google Assistant.
3. 84 Lumber: 'The Journey Begins'
$16.2 million. That's how much building materials supplier 84 Lumber paid for its commercial in Super Bowl LI.
The 90-second spot tells the story of a mother and daughter, of Mexican origin, who head to the United States on their quest to live the American dream.
4. Ford: 'Go Further'
The voice of Bryan Cranston, the actor known for starring in the hit series Breaking Bad, led Ford's Super Bowl LI commercial. In it, the actor talks about those moments when you don't know how to approach your life or what direction to take, hence the reference to Ford's famous slogan: Go far.
Apart from coinciding in the same Super Bowl as 84 Lumber, the company founded by Henry Ford shortly after the turn of the 20th century paid the same amount for the same duration: $16.2 million for 90 seconds.
5. Chrysler: 'America's Import'
At Super Bowl XLVIII, Bob Dylan narrated and starred in Chrysler's America's Import commercial. In it, with Dylan's own song Things Have Changed playing in the background, he highlights the value of being American and its culture.
Chrysler paid $16 million for two minutes of commercials.
