Chrysler and Hyundai join Pepsi and Coke as top Super Bowl spenders [w/ video]

Thu, 23 Jan 2014

Super Bowl XLVIII is barely a week away, and some of the early ads are already leaking out. It's timely then that The Street has released rankings of the top five Super Bowl advertisers since 2009, showing Chrysler and Hyundai/Kia taking two of the spots with $131.7 million in cumulative spending.

Since 2010, the cost to air a 30-second Super Bowl ad has risen from $3 million in 2009 to about $4 million in 2014, and about a fifth of advertisers opt for a one-minute ad, which doubles costs. Last year, the ads brought in $292 million, and they have brought in roughly $2 billion since 2010.

Chrysler has spent $64.3 million since 2009 to make it the fourth highest spending company in the last five years. In that time, the company has rebranded itself as it emerged from bankruptcy with the Imported from Detroit ad campaign that premiered in 2011 and last year's God Made a Farmer Ram Trucks ad. Its 2012 Halftime in America sparked national debate about whether it was also a reference to the upcoming presidential election.

Hyundai and Kia take third place on the list with $67.4 million spent since 2009. Hyundai started spending big this decade during the game to lure buyers away from more established American and Japanese brands. Last year, Hyundai had multiple ads like Epic Playdate about parents trying to give their kids a fun day and Stuck about getting stuck behind increasingly annoying things. Kia has tried to skew sexy with its Dream Car spot featuring model Adriana Lima.

The two companies that have spent that most will be no surprise to anyone who watches the game. PepsiCo has spent $97 million since 2009 to take second place. Anheuser-Busch dwarfs everyone on the list with $145.9 million spent. Below you can reminisce about last year's ads from Hyundai and Chrysler, while we look forward to what they will bring this year.

By Chris Bruce