Small Business and the Super Bowl

The Super Bowl is just a couple of days away, which means big business for a lot of big businesses. For many people the commercials are a bigger part of the extravaganza than the actual game.

So who are this year’s advertisers? All the usual suspects of course—Pepsi, Coke, Budweiser, Doritos, etc. Not making an appearance this year is any of the Big Three auto makers. Perhaps the perfect storm of financial crisis and the fact that the starting price for a 30-second ad this year is $3 million was too tough to swallow.

Nonetheless, the Super Bowl is the pinnacle of business marketing plans for many large corporations. Small businesses, however, have a much tougher time getting themselves in the game. Why? The ridiculous marketing budgets required to partake, of course. I suppose it’s possible for some small businesses to afford a 0.8-second slot or even a 1.4-second slot if they’re really raking in the dough, but I’m pretty sure NBC, who is televising the event, isn’t going to sell such advertisements.

The good news? Super Bowl commercials aren’t the only way to capitalize off the event. With a little creativity small businesses can get involved too. Of course, how you choose to use the Super Bowl to market your company depends on the kind of business you’re in. Restaurants and bars often create football-related deals and discounts for patrons and people wishing to cater their own parties. I remember during the World Series last year, Taco Bell gave customers one free taco if a base was stolen. It was called “Steal a Base, Steal a Taco.” (Thanks for the free taco Jason Bartlett!) Sometimes retail businesses create promotions related to who wins, who scores first or the final score, particularly if your team is in the big game. For example, if you buy a big screen TV the week before the Super Bowl and your team wins, you pay no interest for 18 months.

The marketing details are up to you. The bottom line is that there’s a lot of money to be made off this holy grail of American athletics, so don’t be afraid to get in there and find a way to get your slice of the pie.

Have a great weekend!