According to CBS, in 2010 a 30-second Super Bowl ad spot cost $2.5-$3.0 million. To those of us whose sales are far lower, this seems wildly excessive. Why would companies continue to set aside mega-budgets for their commercials to be seen on Super Sunday? There is much exposure on game day, of course. But is [...]

I’m putting together a master list of Super Bowl XLVI ads, along with links to each advertiser’s Facebook and Twitter pages. Here’s what I have so far in the categories of consumer goods (non beverage…beer and soda has its own category…more to come) and league / government commercials. Anyone care to help fill in the [...]

Besides the game itself and the commercials, another big attraction surrounding the Super Bowl are the musical performances. Each year, big names perform during half time shows. (On an irrelevant note, The Who are the entertainment for XLIV. Has anyone else noticed the network “playing it safe” with old-school acts since the Janet Jackson fiasco [...]

It is no coincidence that each year’s Super Bowl location is awarded years before anyone knows which teams will be playing. The influx of vacationers and fans is a windfall to the city. The tourism, restaurant, souvenir, and entertainment industries (to name a few) all benefit. Your small business (or any other size, for that [...]

Do you-as a marketer or business manager-look at all the hub-bub surrounding the Super Bowl and wonder how you can get in on the action? There are ways that do not require a Super Bowl-commercial-sized budget. My latest article, Super Bowl Parties and Entertainment. How Your Business Can Benefit, may give you some ideas. Here [...]

It’s quite entertaining to track the number of Website visitors and celebrate increases in traffic. While number of visits and page views are important, they aren’t the end objectives. Ultimately, you want those visitors to answer your call to action, whether that be purchase, subscribe, download, or contact you. For this reason, it’s critical to [...]

As small business owners, managers, and marketers one of the issues we must confront each holiday season is whether or not to give price discounts as part of your planned marketing programs. The uncertainty can seem enormous. How much should the discount be? When should you run it? In what situations should it apply? Will [...]

Landing a book contract with an established publisher boosts your business profile to a new level. The problem for many new nonfiction authors, however, is how to go about actually getting that contract. This is where a literary agent comes into play. The agent — among other functions — presents your work to publishers and [...]

Just received notice that once again you will be able to vote for your favorite Super Bowl commercials online. CBS will be airing their 2009 installment of “Super Bowl’s Greatest Commercials” on January 31st, 8:00 pm Eastern time (Day before Super Bowl XLIII) and winners will be determined by us. This year’s top 10 of [...]

Most small business owners know that positioning their companies as providing the same products or services in the same way as the industry giant can lead to disaster. Kind of like a Chihuahua waving a red flag in front of a bull; one twitch from the giant and they’re dead. Studying the competition and acting [...]