Is a $3 Million Super Bowl Ad Worth It?

It was just announced in an article on BrandWeek yesterday that Cars.com spent up to $3 million on a 60-second spot that will run during the second quarter of the 2009 Super Bowl on February 1, 2009. The spend is part of a $200 million marketing campaign for Cars.com that will run throughout 2009.

So here is my question – is $3 million for 60-seconds worth it? There is no doubt that a lot of people around the world see Super Bowl ads, and the best go viral giving the brands added exposure and word-of-mouth marketing, but could that money be invested in better ways? I have to wonder if buying an ad spot during the Super Bowl can really be justified these days, or is it just the cool thing to do – a sign of a brand with money and power?

Let’s debate. What do you think about Super Bowl ad spends? Worth it or not? Leave a comment and share your opinion.

Image: Flickr

Susan Gunelius

Susan Gunelius is President & CEO of KeySplash Creative, Inc. and Founder & Editor in Chief of an award-winning blog, WomenOnBusiness.com. She is a 25-year veteran of the marketing field and has authored 10 books about marketing, branding, and social media, including the highly popular 30-Minute Social Media Marketing, Content Marketing for Dummies, Blogging All-in-One for Dummies and Kick-ass Copywriting in 10 Easy Steps. Susan’s marketing-related content can be found on Entrepreneur.com, Forbes.com, MSNBC.com, BusinessWeek.com, and more. Susan is President & CEO of KeySplash Creative, Inc., a marketing communications company. She has worked in corporate marketing roles and through client relationships with AT&T, HSBC, Citibank, Intuit, The New York Times, Cox Communications, and many more large and small companies around the world. Susan also speaks about marketing, branding and social media at events around the world and is frequently interviewed by television, online, radio, and print media organizations about these topics. She holds an MBA in Management and Strategy and a Bachelor of Science degree in Marketing.