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News In Brief

The cost of a Super Bowl ad over a year in time

Kai Ryssdal Feb 7, 2011

This final note today, a last word and some perspective on the utter ridiculousness of Super Bowl ads. More specifically, how much money companies spend on them. Barry Ritholtz, at his blog The Big Picture, annualized the $2.8 million or so that 30 seconds of air time during the game costs, how much that would be in a year at that rate of spending: $3.2 trillion.

So here’s the perspective part. The entire German economy — the biggest in Europe? $3.3 trillion.

My favorite, by the way? Eminem and the Chrysler ad.

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