Fox has reportedly sold 90% of its ad spots for the upcoming Super Bowl, which will be played in Texas on Feb. 6.

Experts are projecting that prices are running at about $3 million for a :30 spot.

Strong NFL Season So Far

If early ratings are any indication of things to come, the Super Bowl has a chance of once again seeing record viewers. Last Thursday’s season opener was the best-ever kickoff for the NFL, and ESPN’s airing of Monday Night Football also broke records. That show was up 7% over last year in 18-49s, averaged a 10.5 rating, and was the best opening night for Monday Night Football since the game moved from broadcast to cable four years ago.

Ads for last February’s game averaged about $2.8 million for a :30 spot, though some ads brought in as much as $3 million.

I don’t know about you but I couldn’t imagine spending $3 million dollars on ONE :30 sec spot.  Many marketers don’t even reach spending $1 million dollars over the course of an entire year.

On a pure TV-impression alone, one can argue that the Super Bowl has become such an unusual magnet for consumer attention and recall.  Marketers must reach beyond the TV across multiple platforms to engage with their customers.

It’s just not as simple as “buying” high-reach media.  The audience nowadays is much more fragmented than ever making them harder to reach.

What do you think?  Is a $3 million dollar spot in the Super Bowl worth it?