Super Bowl Commercials 2021: Review of Ad Costs, Value Before Bucs vs. Chiefs

Every year, the Super Bowl is the most watched event on American television. When the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Kansas City Chiefs square off in Super Bowl LV on Sunday, approximately 100 million people will tune in.

Because of that enormous audience, businesses and many other entities want to capitalize on the opportunity to build awareness.

But it doesn't come cheap.

CBS will broadcast 2021's showdown and is charging a similar rate to Fox's price in 2020. According to Rick Suter of USA Today, a 30-second advertisement has cost nearly $5.6 million.

In other words, almost $187,000 per second.

However, $5.6 million is merely the price of securing airtime during the broadcast itself. Additional costs for the companies include creating the advertisement, publicity efforts and more, so the total investment is considerably higher.

Given that, it's no surprise the coronavirus pandemic has led companies to devote resources in other ways.

One notable story of Super Bowl LV's commercials will be the absence of brands that ordinarily advertise. For example, per CNBC, neither Coca-Cola nor Pepsi purchased a spot for its namesake sodas.

"This difficult choice was made to ensure we are investing in the right resources during these unprecedented times," Coke spokesperson Kate Hartman said, per CNBC.

Budweiser's Clydesdales will not be seen, either. Well, not officially, at least. Samuel Adams has instead put together a spoof on the beloved horses in 2021.

According to Newsweek, other advertisers joining Budweiser, Coke and Pepsi on the sideline are Audi, Avocados from Mexico, Hyundai, Little Caesars and Olay.

Nevertheless, the potential value is still an attraction.

Scott Jones, an associated professor of marketing at Stetson University, explained this to Adam Epstein of Quartz: "[The Super Bowl] is one of the few remaining live television audiences where people aren't bypassing the advertising. As much as there's a risk with a bad ad, there's even greater opportunity if you run the good one. People tune in expecting good advertising."

Millions of people—particularly those who cheer for Tampa Bay or Kansas City—are focused on the game's result.

But a huge portion of the Super Bowl's audience is most interested in the commercials. The ultimate test is tracking the advertisements that generated a positive reaction Monday and beyond. That's when it's clear whether the $5.6 million was worth it.

Follow Bleacher Report writer David Kenyon on Twitter, @Kenyon19_BR.