Advertising Roundup: Natural Food Brands Hope Super Bowl Bet Pays Off

Meagan McGinnes Feb. 6, 2017 at 5:20 PM

Aside from the players themselves, snacks and commercials are the MVPs of the Super Bowl each year.

In the past, big ad dollars for the game have come from companies like Doritos, Pepsi, and Skittles, but this year the natural food world made a pass at the air time.

Avocados from Mexico, King’s Hawaiian, Muuna and Wonderful Pistachios all bought air time during Super Bowl LI on Sunday. The game, which saw the New England Patriots defeat the Atlanta Falcons, brought in an average audience of 111.3 million viewers for Fox, according to Nielsen. This year’s Super Bowl advertisers paid a record high average price of $5 million for a 30 second spot– that’s more than 10 times more expensive than a normal national ad spot.

Noticeably benched from the coveted marketing spot was GNC, which has increasingly picked up more natural food brands. The National Football League rejected the nutrition and vitamin retailer’s commercial four days after Fox cleared it in writing. GNC announced last week that it plans to sue Fox Broadcasting Co. for “significant economic and reputational damages, lost opportunities, and consequential damages” resulting from the rejection.

You can watch the natural food commercials that played –and those that were sidelined– during “the big game” below:

Avocados from Mexico