Super Bowl Commercials 2016: Updated Ad Costs, Value and Leaks Info

Is $5 million for 30 seconds worth it?

Such is the question many companies from around the globe will look to find out during Sunday's Super Bowl between the Denver Broncos and Carolina Panthers. Peyton Manning and Cam Newton might run the show, but for most, the real stars are the epic commercials.

Advertisers know this, of course. Whether it's a spot for a movie, service, product or something else, few opportunities such as the Super Bowl exist to reach such a broad audience.

It's why, according to Claire Groden of Fortune, 30 seconds of time can run as high as $5 million on the big day. Since 2005, that number marks a 75 percent increase.

Groden went on to explain some of the value with numbers, which doesn't even include some key aspects:

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Prices are only so high because marketers are willing to pay to access the enormous Super Bowl audience. Some 114.4 million people on average tuned into the 2015 Super Bowl to watch the Seattle Seahawks play the Patriots, making the game the most-watched broadcast in the history of U.S. television. That estimate doesn't even account for larger viewing groups at private parties, or bars.

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Those numbers might not even do the impact of an ad justice. This is the social-media age, after all. Think about it—a popular 30-second ad doesn't just get replayed a handful of times over the course of the rest of the month and then fade—it lives online forever, where social media shares it with millions and millions of people, if not plenty of folks who didn't even see it during the Super Bowl.

In other words, the cost for a spot isn't just about the 30 seconds anymore, but about spreading the entertaining commercial in various ways, with the 30 seconds simply as the launching point.

Volkswagen marketing manager Jeff Sayen spoke with TheDrum.com about this and summed it up quite well:

“The entertainment value of the spots themselves has inherently grown. It provides a topic for conversation, and now with social media it’s almost instantaneous how people share the moment and the things that they engage with.”

Ed Szczepanski-USA TODAY Sports

That's value.

With a greater chance at expanding a brand well beyond the confines of normal television advertising, most companies with the cash flow and willingness to buy a Super Bowl ad now have to put an almost Hollywood-esque amount of effort into the spot while trying to stand out and capture mindshare.

The chairman of the Los Angeles ad agency David & Goliath, David Angelo, spoke with Stephen Battaglio of the Los Angeles Times about how much effort goes into making sure a $5 million commercial entertains and sticks with viewers:

“When we're working on a Super Bowl ad, I tell our people to create something that will make you want to be able to stand in front of the TV set and tell everybody, ‘Shut up. My spot is on.' It's your time to shine."

With big money and creativity to match the social-media onslaught comes new approaches to getting the commercials out into the wild, too.

For example, plenty of companies now release teasers for the actual commercial itself, sort of like how Hollywood releases trailers for movies. Some companies find their commercials "leaked" online before they actually air during the game.

Plenty of companies have gotten out in front of the approach this year. T-Mobile already has an ad out featuring musician and actor Drake:

Actor Ryan Reynolds and Hyundai have already hit the airwaves online for a creative spot:

Even actor Liam Neeson has a major spot in the advertising onslaught that has leaked thanks to an ad with LG Electronics:

It's almost impossible to keep up with all of the ads as they come out these days, with companies clearly not afraid to let things out early. In theory, getting ahead of others and increasing brand awareness through online means, then showing the ad on television, is much better than waiting. Then again, only post-Super Bowl numbers will reveal if this new approach works.

Regardless, Katie Richards of Adweek has an outstanding updating list of leaked ads and data on which companies will take the Super Bowl stage.

Commercials aren't done leaking just yet. While more costly than ever, there's more at stake than ever for advertisers, which means new approaches, more effort and an increase in quality to one of the globe's most important events.

In the end, viewers remain the biggest winners of the process.