For many years, Extreme Reach has had an important role behind the scenes in the Super Bowl, touching the large majority of ads that air in the Big Game. Teams across the company responsible for Talent & Rights, Clearance, Traffic, QC and Delivery, help ensure that the high-priced spots seen by millions on both linear television and the digital stream, air in compliance and in pristine condition. It’s a role Extreme Reach has proudly held for over a decade.
Celebrity participation in Super Bowl spots was especially high this year. According to Source Creative, a continuously updated database of global commercials with full production credits, and a division of Extreme Reach, 36 of the 54 in-game national spots featured entertainment or sports celebrities. That number does not even include the four celebrity-packed Paramount promotional spots for the new Paramount + streaming service. Extreme Reach estimates that Talent fees paid to celebrities increased by more than 20% over last year’s Super Bowl.
With rates exceeding $5.5 million for 30-seconds of airtime in the Super Bowl, any fumbling of video assets can turn the championship game into a highly stressful experience for a brand. This year, Extreme Reach saw productions start much later, most likely due to the uncertainty of live events in 2021. All teams involved — Talent & Rights, Business Affairs, Clearance, Traffic and Delivery — moved swiftly to prepare spots for repeat advertisers and newcomers alike, to ensure that every single brand story aired perfectly.
ER’s involvement in campaigns begins as early as the concepting stage, when the clearance and budgeting processes are initiated. The company’s Talent division handles contract management for performers and music seen and heard, ensuring that all are properly compensated for their work. In the weeks and days prior to the event itself, ER facilitates the final steps of ad distribution including traffic instructions, multiple levels of quality control and delivery to the network. In non-Covid years, the company’s VP of Video Network & Support, Fred Cunha, joins the network team on-site at the media center to ensure the stories come alive on all screens flawlessly. This year that work was handled remotely.
“The Super Bowl is not just a big moment for teams, sports fans, and coaches,” said Tim Conley, CEO at Extreme Reach. “Brands of all sizes invest millions of dollars to play their stories during and around the Super Bowl and reach the largest audience on TV. The ER team excels when the stakes are high and despite being remote, this year was no different. We’re honored to provide counsel, support, expertise and reassurance to brands and their agencies who invest so much on this important day.”
While ads in the Super Bowl naturally attract a huge amount of attention, the care ER gives those spots is exactly the level of care our teams give to every commercial production they support with budgeting, clearance, Talent payments, traffic and delivery. In that sense, every day is Super Bowl Sunday at Extreme Reach.
Want to know more about why so many leading brands trust ER with their valuable ad creative? Contact us to learn more.