Running commercials on TV adds a layer of credibility that digital channels can't replicate. When a smaller brand like Gab appears alongside giants like Toyota, it builds consumer trust and elevates its market perception, an effect validated by eMarketer studies.
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Tushy actively measures the cross-channel impact of its advertising, discovering that top-of-funnel channels like Linear TV drive a greater sales lift on Amazon than digital channels like Meta. This is attributed to the demographic overlap between Linear TV viewers and typical Amazon Prime shoppers.
The Super Bowl is most effective for brands facing a fundamental awareness problem—when the mass market simply doesn't know a product, feature, or solution exists. The platform's massive reach is ideal for closing this knowledge gap at scale.
The ROI of a viral moment is difficult to link to direct sales. Instead, its value lies in increasing 'share of voice' and creating positive brand associations. This influences future purchasing decisions, making the brand top-of-mind when a customer is ready to buy.
The price disparity isn't about viewership. Legacy TV ad buys are often part of complex, negotiated packages that include talent access and integrations. This "engagement model" is different from YouTube's biddable, auction-based system, keeping TV prices high despite weaker analytics.
Despite an $8M+ price tag, a Super Bowl ad's cost-per-thousand-impressions (CPM) of $60-$80 is comparable to LinkedIn's $35-$80 range. Given the Super Bowl's high engagement and cultural impact versus passive scrolling on social media, the relative value can be a strategic bargain for large brands.
Super Bowl advertising serves two distinct strategic purposes. For new or unknown companies, the goal is to achieve massive, instant brand awareness. For established, well-known brands like Raisin Bran, the ad serves to re-engage consumers and regain top-of-mind relevance in a crowded market.
Data shows that while combining brand and performance is best, adding brand advertising to a performance-only strategy provides a significantly larger ROI lift than adding performance to a brand strategy. This suggests most marketers are over-invested in performance channels.
Unlike digital ads that suffer from rapid creative burnout, TV commercials have a much longer lifespan. Gab successfully ran the same four creative concepts for over a year, making the initial high production cost more digestible when amortized over an extended period.
TV advertising directly boosts the performance of digital channels like Meta and Google Search. Rather than viewing it as a separate, top-of-funnel expense, marketers should understand its direct impact. Platforms like Tatari can even provide a "halo impact report" to quantify this lift.
While TV’s initial cost-per-thousand (CPM) seems higher than social media, the conclusion flips when adjusted for actual attentive seconds. Research shows TV’s attention-adjusted CPM becomes significantly lower than social's, making it a more cost-effective channel for capturing genuine viewer focus, even among Gen Z.
