Dale Yu: Super Bowl Dreams
As most of you readers are aware, Super Bowl XLII is rapidly approaching. For those of you who are confused by this, the Super Bowl is the championship game of the National Football League. (That’s American Football!) It is regularly the most watched television event in the United States, if not worldwide, each year.
The statistics surrounding the Super Bowl are staggering. Generally, the Super Bowl generates a 40 Rating and 60 Share, as determined by the Nielsen company. A 40 Rating means that 40% of all TVs in the United States are tuned into the game for an uninterrupted period of at least five minutes. A 60 Share means that 60% of all TVs that are turned on at the time are tuned into the game and not some other programming. (NB: I was once a Nielsen family, and it was neat to get paid to watch TV!) Based on these numbers, it is a fair estimate that 80-90 million Americans will be watching the game on Sunday.
The appeal of the Super Bowl is varied. For most, the Super Bowl is simply the culmination of the most popular American sport. There is more pomp and circumstance to this game compared to other championship games—primarily because this is the one “major” sport whose championship event is a singular game rather than a series of games. Therefore, there is much more excitement and suspense around the single Super Bowl. For others, the attraction to the Super Bowl is in the advertisements that are seen during breaks in the athletic action.
The Super Bowl has a pre-eminent position in American advertising since it is generally the most watched TV show of the year. Thus, companies often invest the most time and money into their Super Bowl ads. Some of the most memorable ads in recent times first aired at the Super Bowl (and some, such as the Big Brother Apple ad, aired only one time ever). For many, the advertisements are entertainment in themselves; the national newspaper USA Today often runs a recap and rating of all of the Super Bowl ads on the morning after the big game.
This year, the advertisements will cost an average of $2,700,000.00 (that’s 2,700,003.43 Canadian dollars) per 30-second timeslot! There are 63 slots available, and they have been sold out for months apparently. For these advertisers, paying $90,000 per second is worth it as there will likely be more than 90 MILLION Americans watching (and who knows how many foreigners). And here’s where I veer off into fantasy-land…
What if… there was a boardgaming commercial? What kind of effect could a 30 second advertisement do for our hobby (or any other niche hobby for that matter)? Given the possible number of targets, how many games could a single ad for say Ticket to Ride or Carcassonne sell given exposure to 89,995,000 people who have never heard of them before? Given that most games struggle to sell more than 10,000 copies, that is, less than one hundredth of one hundredth of the people watching the theoretical ad? Clearly it’s a pipe dream to think that a Eurogame publisher or retailer could afford to lay out the money needed for such exposure as the cost of the 30-second ad would likely be close to (if not more than) the entire value of the gaming company’s total worth!
But what about some of the mainstream companies? Would a 30-second ad from Hasbro or Mattel promoting the family friendly activity of boardgaming have a positive outcome? If it were to happen, I wonder what the content of the ad would be—should it be centered on a specific game (Monopoly, Scrabble, Bunco, LCR, whatever…) or on the overall benefits of boardgaming? If it were a Eurogame, what would you show? A rousing game of Trotofant? The momentus movement of meeples around a rondel? Cubes going in the top of a Wallenstein tower and different cubes falling out? A super exciting sequence of someone playing a bomb during a Tichu game which is then over-bombed?
Certainly such an ad would be seen by millions of people, and it would generate much discussion in the media—if nothing else because it would be unique in not trying to sell beer or an Internet company’s service. It could serve as an introduction to the hobby for millions of people who may not even know our hobby exists. But first, we have to generate the money. So start saving your pennies and send them in… I’ll talk to the powers that be about a Super Bowl XLIII BoardgameNews.com ad in the future. Heck, if GoDaddy.com can afford them, why can’t we?
Until your next appointment,
The Gaming Doctor
Posted by Dale Yu on Jan 30, 2008 at 01:00 AM in Columnists, Dale Yu / 1867
Comments:
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Man, I know (only too well) how much the dollar has fallen in value compared to the Euro, but the Canadian dollar too? Wow, Dale--5 minutes on “Good Morning Columbus” and you’re dreaming of a spot on a Super Bowl commercial! Seriously, though, after watching ya’ll on YouTube, I could think of no better ambassadors for the hobby than the Columbus club. Either that or a bunch of football-playing meeples (it worked for the Budweiser cans, right?). Posted by Jeff Allers on Jan 30, 2008 at 02:28 AM | #
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Generally the most watched TV show of the year? No, it is the most watched and will be this year once again and it won’t be even close. Posted by Michael Confoy on Jan 30, 2008 at 03:30 AM | #
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Entertaining idea. Boardgames are such a social element that I would think it would be difficult to express the concept through a 30-second visual spot. You could raise brand awareness, but I’m not so sure you’d suck too many people in, unless you picked up a few folks through the visual impact of a “high-end bits” game.
My vote would be for:
I’d suggest the premium edition of Caylus and/or Settlers but if somone did get interested enough to try to buy it the price would probably freak them out. Posted by Matt J. Carlson on Jan 30, 2008 at 06:38 AM | #
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Jeff - yes, amazing for a short time this year, the Loonie was actually worth more than the Dollar. Right now, it’s pretty much level. So much for driving north for cheap donuts and sub-standard Tim Horton’s coffee! Michael - I qualify the “most watched” statement because the top 3 American TV shows of all-time have not been Super Bowls… The alltime list is: 1) M*A*S*H finale, 2) Dallas - who shot JR? episode, 3) Roots finale, 4) Superbowl XVI - when those damned 49ers beat my beloved Bengals. So… though it’s unlikely that there will be anything else in ‘08 that is more watched, especially with the writers strike continuing on, you never know. Maybe this year’s Survivor will be especially captivating? Dale Posted by Dale Yu on Jan 30, 2008 at 09:01 AM | #
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Unfortunately, no matter how good the ad, 30 seconds could barely make a dent in the American stereotype that boardgames are for children. In my opinion, the best way to promote gaming in the U.S. is to confront that stereotype head on. Posted by Tim Harrison on Jan 30, 2008 at 09:40 AM | #
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the most effective way to shake the “for children” stereotype is to do what the xbox did and introduce clearly adult oriented stimuli. Perhaps the Superbowl commercial should be for an uncensored version of Funny Friends? Posted by Ray Petersen on Jan 30, 2008 at 10:02 AM | #
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You can poke fun at our definition of a football league. But taking shots at our national drink, that is close to a call to arms. Posted by Ian Mackey on Jan 30, 2008 at 11:09 AM | #
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Wait a minute, hoser! I thought the national drink of Canada was Elsinore beer? And don’t get me started about poutine… (does that count as a national food?) D Posted by Dale Yu on Jan 30, 2008 at 11:16 AM | #
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While Bob and Doug can get away with the other national drink during business hours, most of us poor schleps need something a little more politically correct for the office. Posted by Ian Mackey on Jan 30, 2008 at 11:38 AM | #
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I think the Academy Awards has the most viewers internationally. $2.7 million? Sure. Let me get my wallet. Posted by William Baldwin on Jan 30, 2008 at 01:27 PM | #
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Dale wrote: “sub-standard Tim Horton’s coffee!”
Them fighting words Dale.
Posted by Jeph Stahl on Jan 30, 2008 at 02:26 PM | #
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Rule #1: Never taunt Time Horton’s Coffee. <shakes head> Of course, Timmy’s is owned by a US company now, sigh. I always get a laugh out of the comments that the Super Bowl is the most-watched sporting event in the world, because I’m certain that the ratings for the World Cup final would make it look pretty paltry in comparison. Now, most-watched by Americans, no argument. Dale, I heard an interview with Ocho Cinco on Jim Rome this morning, and it sounded like he’s packed his bags and is just waiting for permission to make his departure official. It seems the news keeps getting worse in Bengals land… pk Posted by Patrick Korner on Jan 30, 2008 at 05:02 PM | #
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The biggest problem would be presenting a product most Americans know nothing about in 30 seconds. Very challenging. Of the games mentioned, I think the one that would make the most sense is HeroScape. It’s impressive visually, it has a toy factor, but it can certainly be shown to be for more than just kids. Have a teenaged spokesman berate his friends for playing “dumb” video games, while he’s having a great time fighting battles with his suddenly “cool” dad. But here’s why this truly is fantasy land. The spot costs $2.7 million. Let’s say that Hasbro has a profit of $10 per copy sold (which if anything, might be too high). That means they would have to sell 270,000 additional copies of the game just to break even! All from one 30 second spot! Even if you take residual benefits into account, the numbers don’t seem to add up at all. Guess we’re back to watching beer commercials. And go Giants!!!!! Posted by Larry Levy on Jan 30, 2008 at 05:05 PM | #
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PK - 85 wants a trade to the Dolphins… That hurts… They’re worse than just about any other team out there than the Raiders. (And of course I qualified the world wide thing… the Final match of the last World Cup was estimated to have a worldwide TV audience of 1.0-1.4 Billion). Dale Posted by Dale Yu on Jan 30, 2008 at 08:32 PM | #
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Dale; The Fins?! Ouch. I feel for you, man. As for the SB, I think a big part of its appeal is that it’s the only one-shot-one-game championship in all of major North American sports. Perhaps that makes it easier for a casual fan to tune into? You know I’ll be watching, though! Oh, since I know Larry’s reading these comments: Mea Culpa on the G-Men going into Lambeau and pulling it off. I should have known better than to bet on a QB nearing retirement being able to perform in those kinds of temperatures. What was I thinking?! Since I’ve no wish for the Hoodie to get another ring, I guess I have nothing more to say than: Go Giants! pk Posted by Patrick Korner on Jan 30, 2008 at 09:09 PM | #
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As a Charger fan, I’m torn. I hate the Pats, Eli is still on my s list for the draft… the only thing I want to see is Junior Seau get a ring. I don’t know that I like either team… but I am not a ‘72 Dolphins hater, so I won’t care too much if the Pats lose. Posted by William Baldwin on Jan 30, 2008 at 11:15 PM | #
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Dale wrote:
Well, considering that I was able to order poutine (french fries covered with gravy and cheese curds) at Taco Bell the first time I visited Canada you might be on to something, eh? And I used to be able to tease my wife about the pitiful value of the Canadian dollar ("Hmm...$10 Canadian, what is that..like 10 cents US?"). Hey, I know what we can do, take our ‘board game commercial’ savings and convert the money into valuable Canadian dollars and then buy a spot duing the Grey Cup. That will get those Canadians playing board games at least...I mean, they do watch the Grey Cup don’t they? Posted by Kevin Bender on Jan 31, 2008 at 01:42 PM | #
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Hey, Aldie did so well with the year end membership drive, let’s do a Superbowl commercial fund raiser! Posted by Ed Rozmiarek on Jan 31, 2008 at 04:32 PM | #
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