Alright! SuperBowl 43!! Who’s playing?

A lot of people are aware that NFL Superbowl 43 is right around the corner. Based on a non-government funded survey, 33.85% of my closest friends will be watching the Superbowl just for the American commercials. Most of them don’t even know a thing about football, let alone who is playing.

What does this mean? In a world of the looming death of TV commercials—thanks to PVR—it is surprising how much a hot commodity Superbowl ads are. It means that it pays to advertise, no matter the price.

Some 97.5 million people tuned into the game last year, reports the Nielsen Company. That is some great face time with a whack of people.

According to a NBC spokesman, as of Jan. 12, a whopping 90% of the 67 slated openings have been purchased. Not bad for a country wrack with economic turmoil. This year a 30 second spot will run you $3 million. That is a lot of zeros. But it is paying off for the folks that can find the funds. A few more interesting stats to note (based on Nielson information):

•    Collectively, Super Bowl 2008 advertisers saw a 24 percent increase in Web traffic after the big game last year.

•    Super Bowl ads in the last three years generated an average of 31% higher break-through and 93% higher likeability, compared to the typical ad on television

•    After last year’s halftime performance by Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, Billboard reported that the band’s catalog album “Greatest Hits” made a 196% jump in weekly sales.

•    Super Bowl commercials placed on YouTube received over 6 millions views in two days.

For a complete breakdown of what the Superbowl really means, jump to: http://www.nielsen.com/media/2009/pr_090123.html

So enough stats, let’s hope the game is going to be exciting as the commercials. And pass the nachos.