Super Bowl ad sales are far from super this year

It seemed like money well spent when Sabra paid millions to book a 30-second slot for the 2020 Super Bowl.

For one thing, the game drew an audience of nearly 100 million viewers, meaning it delivered on its promise of getting the hummus brand’s name before a broad public.

Then there was the ad itself, which received a lot of attention, drawing praise for its message of inclusion amid some backlash from a conservative activist group over the presence of two drag queens from “RuPaul’s Drag Race.”

That being said, Sabra has decided to sit out the 2021 game, along with past Super Bowl advertisers such as SodaStream and Avocados From Mexico. Many companies are wary of paying CBS about $5.5 million for a 30-second slot when the pandemic has complicated the annual day of football and feasting.

How should a company market itself in a specially made commercial for an audience that has been through more than 300,000 pandemic-related deaths in the past year? Will a funny commercial seem insensitive? Will a somber ad come across as merely depressing?

And what about the game itself? Will it be played in an empty stadium? Is there a chance that star players will have to sit it out because of COVID? And will viewing parties be considered too risky?

These questions and more have led to hesitation among advertisers. This is the time of year when many companies are fine-tuning big-budget commercials for what is traditionally the biggest advertising event of the year. But CBS still has dozens of openings on the Feb. 7 broadcast, according to people familiar with the sale process. Fox, the broadcaster of last season’s game, had sold all of its 77 national advertising slots by Thanksgiving.

Hyundai Motor America, whose 2020 Super Bowl commercial was one of the most-viewed ads on YouTube this year, said it was weighing its options.

“We’re not sure what the Super Bowl is going to look like,” said Angela Zepeda, the company’s chief marketing officer. “It’s a big moment for a brand to stand out, but it’s also a lot of expense for one day. If it was a normal year, it would be yes all the way, but there are still too many unknowns for us to commit.”

Frequent Super Bowl advertisers including Anheuser-Busch, Pringles and Toyota have committed to appear again, but they face uncertainty after a topsy-turvy National Football League season of relocated teams, rescheduled games and sick quarterbacks. Media buyers said the big game could move to Feb. 28 if the pandemic forces a postponement. Their clients’ contracts with CBS include money-back stipulations if the Super Bowl is canceled, they added.