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If you look up, you may see the bright blue sky. That is unless you are a New Yorker in Times Square. If this is the case, you will see the largest and most expensive digital billboard in Times Square.

 

This new screen stands eight stories tall and is nearly as long as a football field, spanning the entire block from 45th street to 46th street on Broadway. Roughly 24 million LED pixels, each containing tiny red, blue and green lights, make up this phenomenon. The resolution of this billboard is higher than even the best of today's top-of-the-line television sets.

 

If you would like to book this billboard for four weeks, the going rate is more than $2.5 million. This solidifies the jumbo screen as one of the most expensive pieces of outdoor ad real estate on the market.

 

Google has taken over as the exclusive debut advertiser with a campaign that will run through the New Year.

 

"Size matters in Times Square," said Harry Coghlan, President of Clear Channel Outdoor New York that is selling the ad space.

 

Both Clear Channel Outdoor and Google declined to comment on the terms of Google's deal.

 

Ad executives said that Google took advantage of the deal as soon as it went on the market for an exclusive long - term commitment so the negotiated deal could have been much lower than the $2.5 million price tag.

 

Traffic is high in the "bow - tie" location where Seventh Avenue intersects with Broadway between 42nd and 47th streets. Billboards are a large part of this tourist destination.

 

One of the oldest form of advertising, billboards, are attracting new attention as digital displays allow for new- time interactivity. New Social Media and mobile components are being used by marketers, like broadcasting their faces on a billboard or downloading coupons because they walked past an ad.

 

Originally, billboards were a difficult buy. Marketers were forced to make deals with a number of companies that owned the space. Today, the buying process is automated and digital campaigns are updated on the fly. 

 

Super Bowl Ads are still a hot commodity but not as hot as they were 2013 and 2014. In November, NBC announced that ad sales were moving more slowly than what they have observed in previous years. Some advertisers, like Coca-Cola & GoDaddy are buying half the inventory they bought in 2014. Automakers are also not standing in line for an ad this year. Volkswagen is one of the advertisers that will not be making an appearance this time around.

The good news is due to all of the new space made available, there will be a dozen or so new advertisers in the 2015 game. These ads will predominantly be in the digital commerce and technology space.

NBC will air the game on Feb. 1 2015; Ad Age will chart every advertiser as soon as they are confirmed. Here is the current line up.

 

Anheuser- Busch InBev

Buy: TBD

Creative: The brewer has exclusive beer advertising rights for the game and is expected to spotlight Budweiser and Bud Light in the 2015 Super Bowl. The Clydesdales will return in the Bud ad, despite a brief internet scare, while Bud Light will continue the "Up for Whatever" campaign featuring new packaging that will feature more than 100 different messages.

 

Coca-Cola

Buy: One 60-second commercial for flagship soda brand Coca-Cola.

Creative: TBD

 

Doritos (PepsiCo's Frito-Lay)

Buy: Two 30-second commercials

Creative: Doritos is bringing its "Crash the Super Bowl" contest, which asks consumers to come up with its ads for the big game back for the ninth year in a row.

 

GoDaddy

Buy: Back in the Super Bowl for the 11th consecutive year, but this time it has only purchased one spot vs. two.

Creative: The 30-second spot will be called "Journey Home" and feature Nascar driver Danica Patrick and a puppy in telling the story of a business owner. (The company solicited names for the puppy vis social media in December.) There will be a plot twist, according to GoDaddy CMO Barb Rechterman.

 

Loctite

Buy: The make of SuperGlue, is spending the the equivalent of its usual annual ad budget to buy a slot in the Super Bowl at the beginning of forth quarter.

Creative: The ad will be the latest installment of Loctite's less-than-a year-old #WinAtGlue campaign.

 

McDonald's

Buy: Executives familiar with the business claim that after years of opting out of the game and advertising instead in the pre=game slot just before kickoff they are getting ready for slot in the game.

Creative: Likely to evolve the "I'm lovin' it" theme but retain the tagline.

 

 

Mercedes-Benz

Buy: The advertiser is likely to continue it's usual 60 sec buy.

Creative: TBD. Mercedes' 2013 Super Bowl commercial, "Soul," featured Willem Dafoe, Usher and Kate Upton.

 

 

Nissan

Buy: One 60-second spot in an undisclosed quarter. Nissan is coming back to the Super Bowl for the first time since 1997, as part of its recent strategy to emphasize "fewer yet bigger moments."

Creative: Not disclosed.

 

 

Pepsi (PepsiCola) [POSSIBLE HALFTIME AD]

Buy: One 30-second commercial either during the game or during halftime, along with the halftime sponsorship

Creative: They will sponsor the halftime show, where Katy Perry will perform in 2015. The brand will also run a 30-second ad, although it's not clear yet whether that will appear during game play or during halftime.

 

 

Skittles (Mars Inc.)

Buy: TBD

Creative: TBD. Skittles was a big winner in last season's Super Bowl even without an ad because Seattle Seahawks star Marshawn Lynch is a notorious fan; but there are no signs yet that he would star in the anticipated Super Bowl ad.

 

 

Snickers (Mars Inc.)

Buy: One 30-second ad, Snickers' first since 2001.

 

Creative: "You're Not You When You're Hungry" campaign will continue, introduced by BBDO, New York, with an ad starring Betty White in the 2010 Super Bowl. Ms. White will not appear in the 2015 Super Bowl ad.

 

 

Squarespace

Buy: One 30-second commercial

Creative: Not disclosed. Squarespace is making its second Super Bowl appearance, following a debut in 2014. It joins another web development platform, Wix.com, which will air its first spot during the 2015 game, as well as web-hosting company and chronic Super Bowl advertiser Go Daddy.

 

Toyota

Buy: One spot seems likely.

Creative: Toyota is back for its third consecutive Super Bowl with a commercial starring Team Toyota athlete Amy Purdy, a U.S. Paralympic Team snowboarder, and celebrating "great, bold dads" to promote the new Toyota Camry, said Jack Hollis, VP-marketing, Toyota. Toyota's 60-second 2014 Super Bowl ad featured Terry Crews and The Muppets, while the 2013 commercial starred "The Big Bang Theory" actress Kaley Cuoco.

 

 

Wix.com

Buy: A 30-second spot in the fourth quarter

Creative: The commercial will be highlighting Wix's mission to simplify website creation, specifically for small business owners. For the past two years, Wix.com has been running direct response TV ad campaigns in the U.S., Europe and Latin America.

 

 

Until next month, may all of your marketing dreams and goals
come true! And - if they don't - we are here to help.