What’s Better Than a Super Bowl Ad for Your Business?

January 30, 2015

These days, running an ad during the Super Bowl can cost upwards of four million dollars for a 30-second spot. While this gives you a large amount of exposure, it also can do a lot of damage to your wallet.

There are two main types of advertising: earned advertising vs. paid advertising.

Paid advertising would be anything that requires a sum of money such as an ad for the Super Bowl or banner ads on a website. (You also have to keep in mind two other aspects of advertising which are awareness and selection, explained in a previous blog post of ours.)

Earned advertising would be anything that occurs organically such as word-of-mouth or online reviews. The best and most lasting form of earned advertising is the positive reputation of your business, service or product.

Any advertising that occurs organically, or earned advertising, generally costs less than paid advertising and can potentially have a more lasting impact in the long run. After all, you see a commercial during the Super Bowl and then either forget about it or at best, look it up on YouTube if it was funny or memorable enough.

But how likely is it that people are going to consult YouTube when making a purchase decision?

All said a good reputation is worth far more than any Super Bowl ad.