Pepsi and Coca-Cola decided to break the tradition and not run TV ads during next month’s Super Bowl amid the economic crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
Variety first reported Pepsi’s decision last week with Following Coca-Cola on Friday with an announcement that it would not broadcast ads on CBS’s Super Bowl LV broadcast.
In a statement shared with The Hill, Coca-Cola said it made the “difficult choice” of “ensure that we are investing in the right resources during these unprecedented times. “
“We will be toasting our other brands with a cold Coca outside,” said the company.
Meanwhile, Pepsi, one of the biggest and most trusted sponsors of the football event, chose not to run ads during the game to “double our existing 12 minutes at the Pepsi Super Bowl Halftime Show in the middle of the Super Bowl,” with a statement shared with Variety from Pepsi’s vice president of marketing, Todd Kaplan.
“We are going to build it like never before,” Kaplan said of the break program, adding that the decision to cut the ads was not influenced by the desire to limit spending.
Pepsi did not immediately respond to The Hill’s request for additional comments.
Canadian singer The Weeknd is set to headline the Pepsi-sponsored show, with the music star participating in a Pepsi advertising campaign ahead of the February 7 game, the first time a Super Bowl halftime headliner did, according to Variety.
Coca-Cola in 2020 spent about $ 10 million on commercials to broadcast Fox’s Super Bowl LIV, according to ad spending tracker Kantar.
Coca-Cola’s decision came after the Atlanta-based company announced in December that it would be cutting nearly 2,200 jobs worldwide, with 1,200 in the USA, due to the drop in sales amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Coca-Cola has been preparing for cuts since the summer, when it offered acquisitions to nearly 4,000 employees in Canada and the United States. Earlier this year, the brand also announced that it would discontinue Tab, Odwalla and Zico, CNN reported at the time.
Variety reported on Friday that CBS has not yet announced an exhausted sale of its commercial game inventory, with the network seeking about $ 5.5 million in advertising packages.
Last year’s football game generated about $ 435 million in advertising spending, a new record, according to Kantar.