Super Bowl, Olympics Big For TV 7&4, Local Advertisers

For the first time since 1992, the Super Bowl and the Winter Olympics will both be broadcast on the same TV network, and that’s big news for the folks at Traverse City’s WPBN TV 7&4, according to station General Manager Todd Harrison.

With Super Bowl LII set for tomorrow (Feb. 4) and the Opening Ceremony of the 2018 Winter Olympics only five days later, some advertisers are scoring spots in both high-profile events, according to Harrison, who has been at the station for two years.

“We’ve had local folks taking advantage by advertising in both the Olympics and the Super Bowl,” he says. “Advertisers seem excited about it and we’re seeing robust interest. It’s an exciting time for us.”

Citing confidentiality, Harrison declined to offer information about specific local ads or advertisers. “The Super Bowl is a one-day event, but the Olympics offers lots of places for our clients to get exposure,” he says. “The demand is robust and the inventory is moving.”  

Fletch’s GMC Buick and Audi of Petoskey will be running a General Motors ad in the Super Bowl and an Audi spot in Olympics, according to General Sales Manager Bob Seitz. 

“We did one last year and we got great feedback, so we’ll do it again,” he recalls. “We did a kind of dream sequence ad where I was asleep and the sales team was busy fooling around, playing poker in the showroom and offering a family two free puppies if they’d buy a car. We like to keep it kind of funny.”   

This year’s 30-second ad is another dream sequence, but you’ll have to tune in to see the details. One tip – humor is still a hallmark of the Fletch’s spot.  

TC auto dealer Bill Marsh will be represented on TV throughout the Olympics — but not during the Super Bowl, says Marketing Director Mike Kent.  

“The Super Bowl is an easy one for me. I know it’s a huge audience, but the rates are so high for you to get any kind of repetition [running more than spot during the game] would bankrupt you. It can take seven times for an ad to be seen to sink in. The other reason is often people go to the bathroom during the commercials.” 

Kent says a local Super Bowl spot can reach $4,000, versus $400-$500 for a commercial during the Olympics. 

“The Olympics are a different beast. The numbers [ratings] are usually very, very good. It can be appointment television,” he says, noting Marsh will run commercials throughout the Olympics, including spots that promote the values of the dealership and others for specific Buick, GMC, or Chrysler vehicles. 

Other local ad buyers tell The Ticker the Olympics can also be an attractive buy because February is a quiet TV time otherwise, making for less competition for viewers.

Nationally NBC has said it expects to collect “close to $500 million” in Super Bowl-related ads ($5 million per 30-second spot) and more than $900 million in ad revenue for the Winter Games. 

So does TV 7&4’s Harrison have a favorite Super Bowl ad from past years?

“I always like the Doritos ads,” he says. “They always come up with something interesting.”