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Super Bowl ads are huge. Viewed by billions of people and made with large budgets, these brief blockbuster productions are usually compilations of the best of the best; the best talent, the best writing, and the best products. They’re so famous that many people tune in to the Super Bowl for the ads only. This means that they cost a lot of money, from crazy paychecks to the talent involved, to hefty fees paid for the spot on the schedule.
CNN reports that companies pay celebrities millions of dollars for a few days work. Last year’s famous Dunkin Donuts ad with Ben Affleck resulted in a $10 million dollar paycheck. Affleck’s partnership was a special one though; Aside from featuring him in front of the camera, he got involved with the whole idea, developing it alongside his company, Artists Equity, which also directed and produced the commercial.
In other cases, paychecks can range widely. “It can be as little as $25,000 for someone to do a cameo that’s not a megastar, but as high as $10 million. It depends on the brand and it depends on the stature of the celebrity,” said Tim Curtis, a partner in the Hollywood talent agency, WME. “The majority of bigger stars are usually in that $1 to $3 million range for Super Bowl, but there are exceptions that go out north of that. It’s rare for someone that you think of as a true movie star to be paid less than a million.”
Some of this year’s stars include Jennifer Aniston and David Schwimmer, Jenna Ortega, Chris Pratt, Jason Momoa, Martin Scorsese, and so much more. These ads are usually shot within a couple of days, resulting in stars earning millions for what amounts to seconds onscreen.
How is this profitable for companies?
Despite the high cost of paying for celebrities, Super Bowl commercials are incredibly succesful. Affleck’s Super Bowl ad got 7 billion media impressions in one go. “They sold more donuts the next day than any other day in their history,” said a source to CNN.
Experts explain that getting a spot on the program itself is already incredibly expensive. Might as well go all out with the talent. “Not to sound cavalier, but it’s a little bit of a drop in the bucket to tack on the talent fees,” said an expert source.