Acura is planning a high-profile kickoff for its new NSX: a commercial during Super Bowl 50 in February.
Super Bowl 50 in February is expected to attracted more than 100 million viewers and with the economy stable the price for the television spots to record levels.
The cost of a 30-second ad slot during Super Bowl 50 has climbed to $5 million, according to CBS, which holds the broadcast rights for the 2016 game. The fees are up 11% from last year’s game between the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots, which brought NBC $4.5 million for a 30-second spot.
But the rising prices haven’t deterred automakers, such as Acura and Kia, which have stepped up to purchase time on the Super Bowl broadcast.
The Super Bowl has become a favorite venue for brands facing challenges of various kinds, such Volkswagen and Chrysler, to make a statement. Both Kia and Acura are considered challenger brands.
Acura said it will make a play during the first quarter of Super Bowl 50 with a new brand commercial that will focus on the luxury automaker’s North American roots.
(Acura releases specs on 2017 NSX. To get the details, Click Here.)
“As the Acura brand continues to gain momentum and the next-generation NSX supercar is about to make its market debut as the pinnacle expression of Acura performance and prestige, the Super Bowl is the perfect place for Acura to make a powerful brand statement to one of the largest viewing audiences in American history, and one that is incredibly attentive to advertising,” said Jon Ikeda, vice president and general manager of Acura.
The luxury performance brand made its Super Bowl debut in 2012 with a spot that depicted the Acura NSX, before the supercar’s power train was completely redesigned. The new Super Bowl commercial is a part of a comprehensive marketing strategy that conveys the brand’s values, North American roots and future direction. More information on the Super Bowl commercial and the brand’s marketing campaign will be shared in the weeks ahead.
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Ikeda noted that Acura is one of the fastest growing luxury brands in America – on track for its fifth consecutive year of increased sales and its best annual sales total since 2007. Acura truck sales remain on pace for a record year with combined sales of MDX and RDX, while Acura sedan sales are up more than 20 %.
Michael Sprague, Kia’s chief operating officer, confirmed that Kia has signed on to advertise on the Super Bowl for the seventh year in a row.
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The Super Bowl spot next year will probably feature the new 2016 Kia Optima, which will be well into its launch by the time the next Super Bowl rolls around. The revamped 2016 Kia Optima began arriving in dealerships at the end of October.