We all know that The Oscars is an event surrounded by the talent of actors, directors and even costume designers, but the truth is that they aren’t the only ones involved in this celebration: The Oscars is one of the most important opportunities of the year for advertisers.
Why? an article from Adweek refers that the average cost of a spot of 30 seconds length for this year is expected to reach from 1.9 to 2 million dollars, which means, a double digit jump versus last year (and all-time) record.
This night, which will be celebrated on February 28th this year, is a platform for some agencies to show their most memorable work and brand integrations. While not on the scale of the Super Bowl, great brands still see ABC’s Oscars telecast as a key venue due to its massive reach and prestige. An example of advertisers that broke campaigns in last year’s show include Cadillac and Dove.
The Oscars is also important for ABC, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ longtime partner. They have been hosting The Oscars since 1976 and is under contract to do so through 2020, last year, Neil Patrick Harris’ hosted the celebration, and the channel showed on air a couple of commercials for the event called “New Year’s Resolutions”.
This year, Chris Rock is hosting The Oscars, and the predictions point that this year’s audience could be way up from last year, with this personality on air. The comedian—not known as one to shy away from controversial topics—is widely expected to address the #OscarsSoWhite protest that looms over this year’s proceedings.
There are plenty of reasons for marketers to love this night, this event registered 37 million viewers last year. Even though ratings were down 16 percent year-over-year, the show still ranked among the top 10 television programs of 2015.