15 Mind-Blowing Stats About The Super Bowl

Super Bowl LI, on Feb. 5, pits the New England Patriots against the Atlanta Falcons—and, as can be expected, the Internet is already abuzz.

15 Mind-Blowing Stats About The Super Bowl

Super Bowl Sunday typically means three things: One, a massive number of Americans will be glued to their TV sets. Two, people will get together and overeat at Big Game parties. Three, fans will be on their phones sharing commentary about the game and the commercials.

Super Bowl LI , on Feb. 5, pits the New England Patriots against the Atlanta Falcons—and, as can be expected, the Internet is already abuzz. To gain a better understanding of what to expect during this year’s game, the Adobe Digital Insights (ADI) team analyzed massive amounts of aggregated, anonymous data around social engagements, advertising performance, and website visits from NFL championship games and previous Super Bowls. We’ve also added in some numbers and data from outside sources to provide a better view of the whole picture.

  1. Fans are super engaged when watching the Super Bowl, according to ADI. Mobile ad completion rates sit at 50% during the big game compared to 65% during conference championships.

  1. Halftime entertainment is a big hit among viewers, with mobile ad completion rates dipping by 28% between the second and third quarters.
  2. NFL fans gear up before the Big Game, according to ADI. Units of NFL products sold increase 19% before the Super Bowl and 104% after the game.

  1. In tracking social buzz leading up to the Big Game, ADI found that average social mentions increased 2X when the Dallas Cowboys played off against the Green Bay Packers on January 15. An average of 48.5 million viewers tuned in—35% higher than the divisional average.

  1. Thirty-second commercials for the first Super Bowl in 1967 cost a mere $42,000, but that average broke the $1 million barrier in 1995 and hit a record high of $4.5 million in 2015. CBS charged $5 million for ads in 2016, or $166,666 per second.
  2. Fluent surveyed around 1,600 Super Bowl viewers last year to see the before-and-after effects of five first-time advertisers. The average “brand lift,” defined as whether viewers would recognize advertisers more after their first Super Bowl ads, was 12.7%.
  3. NFL social mentions decreased 6% season-over-season. However, according to ADI, NFL mentions during the playoffs hit 6.2 million, putting it almost on par with the previous season, which had tons of buzz because of Peyton Manning’s retirement.

  1. Although football is considered to be a great American pastime, interest comes from Europe, too. Overall sentiment remains positive overseas, according to ADI, but mentions have decreased 15% since last year.

  1. The average cost of a Super Bowl ticket is $3,225, as of January 30, 2017.
  2. “The success of Super Bowl ads can also be measured in the laughs it gets.” According to Ace Metrix, typical TV ads deploy humor about 20% of the time; for the Super Bowl, it’s more than 50%.
  3. Online chicken wing sales increase 40% on Super Bowl weekend compared with the average weekend. Surprisingly, online pizza sales increase by only 4%. Bone-in wings generate the largest share of social mentions.

  1. Hot wings are the most popular chicken wing flavor for the Super Bowl, with buffalo and BBQ rounding out the top three.

  1. Seventy-eight percent of fans will be busy on social platforms while the game is on. Facebook is the most popular, followed by Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat.
  2. The No. 1 online activity on social channels during the game is sharing thoughts about the commercials (38%), followed by reacting to the game (32%).
  3. Social media also plays a role in Super Bowl party planning, with the majority of party hosts looking to Pinterest (68%) and Facebook (26%) for things such as recipes and decorating ideas.

View the infographic below, or click here to view it on SlideShare: