In order to encourage everyone in the United States to mail back their forms, the U.S. Census Bureau is sinking more than $100 million into advertising, including a high-profile spot aired during the third quarter of the Super Bowl.
Given the hype and expense that accompany Super Bowl advertising, at least one U.S. Senator has taken interest in the cost of the ad campaign.
Getting an ad into one of the coveted game-time slots requires a decent chunk of change. According to Advertising Age, a 30-second commercial during Super Bowl I in 1967 would have set you back about $40,000, or around $245,350 in 2007 dollars.
This year, for Super Bowl XLIV, a 30-second spot went for $2.5-$2.8 million, according to TNS Media Intelligence.
Census Bureau Director Robert M. Groves provided a justification for the expense in a January press release:
One of the primary goals for our advertising and outreach campaign is to increase the number of people who mail back their forms when they arrive in March. For each percentage point increase in the national mail-back response rate, the Census Bureau saves taxpayers about $80 to $90 million in costs associated with having to send census takers to nonresponding households for in-person interviews.
The press release goes on to state the Bureau's intention to run ads during the Super Bowl, the 2010 Winter Olympics and prime-time shows, in what the press release calls "the most extensive and diverse outreach campaign in U.S. history."
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