The price of Super Bowl ads continues to climb despite a continuous decline in viewers over the past five years. This year, a 30-second ad is going for around $6.5 million, nearly $1 million more than last year’s average cost of $5.6 million. (Meanwhile, Super Bowl tickets can cost a few thousand dollars, find out the NFL’s most expensive and cheapest tickets.)
It can be extremely hard to gauge the effectiveness of television ads, especially in comparison to targeted online advertisements that can be backed up with plenty of data. Using limited resources to buy the most expensive ad space out there might not always be the best investment. This year, some companies that previously advertised at the big game have decided not to run ads. (These are 12 food and drink slogans you can’t forget.)
Ads aren’t always a sure bet for success, even if they reach their target audience. Last year, third-party delivery app DoorDash was criticized for spending several millions of dollars on an ad to announce that it would be donating $1 million to charity.
Similarly, Chrysler’s truck division, Dodge Ram, was criticized in 2018, when it overlaid shots of its trucks with a soundbite of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. giving a speech. Ironically, King even criticized automobile advertisements in a part of the speech not featured in the commercial.
Some of the companies that chose not to advertise this year have been longtime patrons of the Super Bowl. Tide detergent, candy conglomerate Mars Wrigley, and Hyundai have all run several Super Bowl ads in the past and invested a considerable amount into producing commercials. Others, like Chipotle and online service marketplace Fiverr, ran ads for the first time in last year’s game but decided against it this year.
To determine the companies opting out of this year’s Super Bowl ads, 24/7 Tempo reviewed a list compiled by marketing news company Adweek on the companies that advertised during previous Super Bowls but are not running a TV spot for Super Bowl LVI in 2022. Data on previous Super Bowl ad count and spending came from Adland and may be incomplete, as there is no information available for many of the early broadcasts.
Click here to see familiar brands you won’t see at this year’s Super Bowl
Chipotle
> Most recent Super Bowl ad: 2021
Chipotle ran its first Super Bowl ad in 2021, leading with the headline “Can a burrito change the world?” and highlighting its supply chain practices and “food with integrity pledge.” On game day, the company donated a dollar from all orders to the National Young Farmers Coalition. However, the chain chose not to advertise again this year.
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Fiverr
> Most recent Super Bowl ad: 2021
Fiverr is an online marketplace for just about any freelance service imaginable. The company ran its first Super Bowl ad in 2021 but is not a repeat customer for this year’s big game. Last year’s ad made fun of the Trump Presidential Campaign’s news conference that took place at Four Seasons Landscaping instead of the Four Seasons Hotel.
Hyundai
> Most recent Super Bowl ad: 2020
Hyundai did not advertise in the 2021 Super Bowl but has had commercials in 12 of the 15 Super Bowls before that. The Super Bowl regular decided not to run a commercial this year, and a Hyundai spokesperson said the decision was based on business priorities and where the company felt it was best to allocate market resources.
Kraft Heinz
> Most recent Super Bowl ad: 2020
Food giant Kraft Heinz decided not to run ads for any of its brands this year. In the past, it has run several for some of its products, including Planters and Heinz. In 2020, the company ran four ads at once, breaking the screen into four separate boxes and running a different ad in each at the same time.
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Mars Wrigley
> Most recent Super Bowl ad: 2021
Mars Wrigley has run Super Bowl ads for more than 10 years but decided not to continue the tradition this year. A spokesperson for the company said it will focus on other ways of celebrating its brands this year. The company has a multitude of candy brands, including Snickers, M&M’s, and Skittles. Last year, an M&M’s ad featured actor Dan Levy using candy as a form of apology.
Tide
> Most recent Super Bowl ad: 2021
Procter & Gamble’s laundry detergent brand Tide has had an ad in four of the last five Super Bowls but will not this year. Last year, the brand had a 60-second ad featuring “Seinfeld” actor Jason Alexander.
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Jaguar
> Most recent Super Bowl ad: 2014
In 2014, carmaker Jaguar made its first and only appearance in a Super Bowl commercial. The commercial featured British actors Ben Kingsley, Tom Hiddleston, and Mark Strong as villains who explain why Hollywood loves to cast Brits as the bad guys. A spokesperson for the brand said that at this time the company has no plans to return to advertising during the big game.
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Lexus
> Most recent Super Bowl ad: 2018
Lexus first advertised during the Super Bowl in 2012 and last advertised during the game in 2018, featuring late “Black Panther” star Chadwick Boseman. Lexus will not have an ad this year. However, the brand’s parent company, Toyota, will be advertising this year for the fifth game in a row.
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