Advertisers to shell out $3.5 mln for 2012's Super Bowl

London, Jan 30 (ANI): The average price of a 30 second commercial slot at this year's Super Bowl will cost 3.5 million dollars (2.2 million pounds), television executives have claimed.

According to Comcast Corp's NBC network, which will broadcast the game in February, the slot of an advert is up 500,000 dollars as compared to last year.

Brands including Coca-Cola and Volkswagen will be using social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter to extend the buzz of their adverts.

"The social media conversation has put more value on a Super Bowl ad, fans will discuss your ads on Twitter and Facebook and then go to YouTube to watch it on demand over and over again," the Telegraph quoted Brad Adgate, senior vice president of research at Horizon Media as saying.

2012's Super Bowl will take place in Indianapolis, with the New York Giants and New England Patriots, a rematch of Super Bowl XLII in 2008 when the Giants upset the heavily favoured and unbeaten Patriots 17-14.

100 million people are expected to watch the game, which is among a dwindling number of TV programmes that still draw big live audiences.

The average price of Super Bowl ads have risen more than 50 percent in the last 10 years, defying economic downturns and secular industry issues.

NBC sold out all 70 spots around this year's game shortly after Thanksgiving weekend in November and reached a new high with one slot selling for around 4 million dollars.

The game, including lower priced halftime slots, could easily generate over a quarter of a billion dollars in ad sales.

"The overall demand for Super Bowl spots is very high this year," Tim Calkins, marketing professor at Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management, said.

"Prices are high. Demand is high. I think that's a very positive sign for the economy," he said.

Not unlike past Super Bowls, Coca Cola Co and PepsiCo Inc will face-off for soda supremacy. Both beverage makers have come up with campaigns that attempt to leverage social media after their commercials air.

Coca-Cola's TV commercials, which will air during the first- and second-quarter breaks, will centre around its computer-generated Arctic polar bears watching the game.

The bears will then be brought to life on Twitter, Facebook and on a dedicated Website doing such things as responding to fans and commenting on the game.

They will even have their own Twitter hashtag -#GameDayPolarBears - for fans to follow.

"We wanted to interact with consumers in the most simple and organic way so they would have nothing to do other than what they usually do," Pio Schunker, Coca Cola senior vice president of integrated marketing platforms, said.

Fans who catch Pepsi's commercial with 'Factor USA' winner Melanie Amaro performing the Otis Redding song 'Respect' will be able to download a free video of the performance by using the Shazam app on their phones to capture audio from the commercial.

There are also partnerships with online radio service Pandora Media Inc and social TV specialist GetGlue centred around the game and other free content.

"Our philosophy now is nothing happens in isolation," Shiv Singh, global head of digital for PepsiCo Beverages, said.

"Social TV is a massive phenomenon and a critical element of our Super Bowl campaigns," he said.

The biggest spender by category is the autos industry, which made a big comeback last year and was noted for one of the most memorable spots, Volkswagen's ad with a young child dressed in a Darth Vader outfit believing he can control the Passat car's lights.

This year, Volkswagen's Audi is hoping to win more creative kudos with a spot that taps into the 'Twilight' teen vampire pop culture phenomenon.

The 60-second advert, which will air during the first break in the game, will highlight the new 2013 Audi S7 and its LED headlight technology, which has unfortunate consequences for a party of young vampires.

Chrysler Group LLC, Toyota Motor Co, Honda Motor Co Ltd, Hyundai Motor Co, and other automakers will also be advertising during the game.

General Motors Co's mainstream Chevy brand will run seven TV commercials before, during and after the game, for instance. It will also centre its overall campaign heavily around web-based partnerships with NBC, Twitter and Facebook. (ANI)