SuperBowl Ads, The Real Story

This was my favorite, just for the record.

A 30-second ad spot in this year's Super Bowl cost an average of $3.5 million. That's an 84% increase from 10 years ago and the highest amount advertisers have ever had to pay. While that is quite the price hike, it is in line with the growth in TV audience, which has just about doubled over the past decade. But despite spending so much to reach such a massive audience at once, the results are rarely impressive.

Between 2002 and 2011, companies spent $2.5 billion on Super Bowl advertising, based on 24/7 Wall St.'s estimate. The top 10 spenders were responsible for more than one-third of that. And one company, Budweiser maker Anheuser-Busch, spent almost $250 million over the past 10 years on Super Bowl ads, a whopping one-tenth of the total.

24/7 Wall St. ranked total spending for all of the companies that advertised during the Super Bowl in the past decade. An analysis of the top spenders reflects how bad this investment can be. While some, such as Hyundai and Toyota have improved market share over that time, most have not.

These are the eight brands that wasted the most on the Super Bowl.

8. E*Trade
Total ad spending (2002-2011): $35.9 million
Super Bowls advertised in over past 10 years: 6
Average ads per Super Bowl: 2.5
Change in share price (2002-current): -91.1%
Change in market share: n/a

7. Ford

Total ad spending (2002-2011): $36.3 million
Super Bowls advertised in over past 10 years: 5
Average ads per Super Bowl: 2.2
Change in share price (2002-current): -17.1%
Change in market share: 20.2% (2002), 16.8% (2011)

6. Warner Bros.
Total ad spending (2002-2011): $48.6 million
Super Bowls advertised in over past 10 years: 4
Average ads per Super Bowl: 4.75
Change in share price (2002-current): -51.6%
Change in market share: 11.7% (2002), 17.9% (2011)

5. Coca-Cola
Total ad spending (2002-2011): $61.0 million
Super Bowls advertised in over past 10 years: 5
Average ads per Super Bowl: 2.8
Change in share price (2002-current): +51.8%
Change in market share: 44.3% (2002), 42.0% (2010)

4. Yum! Brands
Total ad spending (2002-2011): $67.8 million
Super Bowls advertised in over past 10 years: 9
Average ads per Super Bowl: 3
Change in share price (2002-current): +366%
Change in market share: 37% (2000), 28% (2011)

3. General Motors
Total ad spending (2002-2011): $135.2 million
Super Bowls advertised in over last ten years: 8
Average ads per Super Bowl: 5.5
Change in share price (2002-current): filed chapter 11 in 2009
Change in market share: ~29% (2002), 19.6% (2011)

2. PepsiCo
Total ad spending (2002-2011): $209.7 million
Super Bowls advertised in over past 10 years: 10
Average ads per Super Bowl: 7.2
Change in share price (2002-current): +32.4%
Change in market share: 31.4% (2002) - 29.3% (2010)

1. Anheuser-Busch
Total ad spending (2002-2011): $246.2 million
Super Bowls advertised in over last ten years: 10
Average ads per Super Bowl: 8.7
Change in share price (2002-current): N/A (was purchased by InBev in 2008)
Change in market share: 52% (2002), 48.3% (2011)