There’s so much intrigue leading up to the 2013 Super Bowl, which heads back to the great Cajun city of New Orleans next February. Will the Saints be there, without the incentive to bounty hunt? Can Peyton Manning lead the Denver Broncos to the big game as he trades one blue uniform for another? And what of the holy quarterback he replaces, the unflappable Tim Tebow? Does the New York Jets coaching staff have enough public relations professionals, life coaches, and sports psychologists on their side to manage a winning relationship out of the Mark Sanchez-led incumbent offense? Or will it devolve into a soap opera? (It will, and Eli Manning will remain the third most talked about quarterback in New York City, even though he’s got two Super Bowl rings.)
The storylines are endless and anything but predictable. But there is one thing we know for sure about next year’s Super holiday of consumption; General Motors WILL NOT be running any advertisements during the game. This isn’t the first time GM has declined advertising participation, as it took 2009 and 2010 off due to financial constraints stemming from the recession. Even with those two off-years, GM was the third leading Super Bowl advertiser between 2002 and 2011, behind Anheuser-Busch and Pepsi-Co, spending $83.0 million on ads. This year’s 30-second spots are expected to cost $3.8 million, up 10% from last year.
This announcement comes on the heels of GM’s decision to pull its advertising from Facebook, essentially unfriending the newly public company. GM is shifting its ad strategy to try and get more bang for its buck, despite the fact the total buck isn’t dropping; GM spent $4.7 BILLION on marketing last year, and the company expects to increase its budget this year.
Would it be wrong at this point to suggest to the NFL a home-and-home Super Bowl Series, with the big game coming to a rubber match at a neutral site if it comes to it? Think about the intrigue and advertising dollars of THAT.
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