When it comes to the Superbowl, the anticipation of the commercials can draw in a bigger audience than the actual game. The cost to air a 30-second ad during the Superbowl rises every year, as depicted in the infographic below, and large corporations love to drop big bucks on this advertising opportunity. But, are they really capitalizing on their investment or should they be spending their money elsewhere, such as Sunday Night Football or a top show like NCIS? 

People are bombarded each day with a ton of information from a variety of sources. This is why "frequency"  (how many times a person in your demographic potentially sees or hears your message) is critical in order to make an impact on an audience.  

"If you buy one spot on the Superbowl, you are reaching a large audience, which is great. However, you are only reaching them one time," said Maria Corsaro, V.P. & General Manager of Field Marketing Solutions. "Broadcast is a frequency medium and consumers need to hear your message numerous times before it sinks in." 

From distractions during the game to commercials leaking online before the game even airs, it's doubtful that people have their full attention on the TV screen the whole time. For this reason, it may be wiser to choose a different advertising to obtain a good balance of both reach and frequency. After all, it's better to reach 50% of your target demographics 15 times, than 100% of your target demo 7.5 times.