It’s that time of year once again, the ironically Canadian tradition of trying any means possible to get our fix of big budget US ads that will air on February 9 during Super Bowl LIX from New Orleans’ Caesars Superdome. From VPNs on our phones and computers to US feeds via satellite, we Canadians fight for our right to… watch US ads.
The long-held practice of simultaneous substitution, or sim sub, allows Canadian broadcasters to swap out those US ads with Canadian ads, understandable given the cost of broadcast rights in Canada. Those rights must be paid for and that requires Canadian eyeballs to see Canadian ads.
Canadians didn’t take this lying down; consumers took the matter to the CRTC and in 2015, the CRTC ruled that Canadians should be allowed to see the US ads, starting in 2017. Game on! We were back in business.
That decision by the CRTC was taken to the Supreme Court and Bell Media, who holds the broadcasting rights for the Super Bowl, got simultaneous substitution reinstated in 2020. The spoiler in all of this? Social media. Already, many of this year’s Super Bowl ads are available online with brands taking different tactics to get in front of as many people as possible. Some advertisers are out early on social and working their PR firms hard for every earned media opportunity. I’ve already seen ads for Hellman’s mayonnaise (Harry Met Sally reunion), Gordon Ramsay and Pete Davidson together to promote cooking pans, and of course, Budweiser.
Some are holding back, hoping that their creative is right in the middle of a game for the ages and their car/soft drink/snack food/beer/AI will be what everyone’s talking about.
It’s a rematch of Super Bowl LVII where the Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Philadelphia Eagles two years ago, and much like the ceremonial coin toss, it’s up in the air as to whether the game will be what we’re glued to, or those $7 million ‘spaces in between the game’.
What’s your favourite Super Bowl ad?
Richard Bartrem is a seasoned marketing and communications executive with over 35 years of proven leadership and management experience. At Brookline, Richard applies his valuable experience, big picture thinking and compelling storytelling to help grow strong brand identities for our clients.