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The Super Bowl is on track to remain one big, glitzy bash even in these tough economic times.

That’s not to say some advertisers aren’t robust about buying expensive ad slots as business falters. Some stalwarts such since General Motors Corp., FedEx Corp. and Garmin Ltd. won’t be advertising in succession the Feb. 1 broadcast in continuance NBC. Playboy Enterprises Inc. isn’t throwing its customary party at the game, for the primeval time in nine years.

But aggressive marketing by NBC to secure ad deals before last September’session financial meltdown helped to render certain Super Bowl XLIII won’t exist a marketing bust.

NBC said 90 percent of the Super Bowl ads had sold as of mid-January. Most ads possess sold for through $3 million per 30-second spot - every all-time high value during the term of the Super Bowl, which is the most watched adventure in the nation, by about 100 million U.S. viewers.

The sales pace matched those of prior years and the network related it was in discussions on the remaining unsold spots. Most are in the fourth quarter, and tend to journey for slightly less than other positions in the broadcast.

“There is unrivaled attention surrounding the game,” said Brian Walker, older director of communications at NBC Sports in New York. “As research confirms, it remains the most powerful vehicle for an advertiser to advance its brand and products.”

While some high-profile advertisers have pulled the plug, many are staying put and some, like as Mars Inc.’s Pedigree pet food, will be in sight in the Super Bowl for the first time.

But the tone of some ads this year will reflect tough times. As Tim Calkins, marketing professor at Northwestern University’session Kellogg School of Management puts it: A good ad connects with its audience. And that audience is stressed about finances.

Take the cause of Hyundai Motors America.

Automotive ads during the Super Bowl tend to focus on vehicle launches, and Hyundai was planning to run two 30-second spots for its Genesis Coupe - one by renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma playing a Bach piece that viewers be able to re-edit online.

But now, the South Korean carmaker might swap any of the ads for a spot featuring a new incentive program that forgives auto loans for car buyers who fail their income within a year of the thing acquired.

“We know consumers are concerned about their future earnings,” said Joel Ewanick, vice president of marketing at Hyundai Motor Co.’s Fountain Valley, Calif.-based American division. “That’s keeping a whole cluster of people on the sidelines from buying a new car.”

Original text: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2008643433_apsuperbowladvertising.html?syndication=rss