Post-Taylor Swift Effect, Most Super Bowl Ads Still Don’t Pass the Bechdel Test

Since women control roughly 85% of consumer purchasing decisions, there’s a clear advertiser incentive to make ads that appeal to them, Kelly explained.

“Women are the ones making most of those purchasing decisions on behalf of their households,” she said. “These ads in the Super Bowl don’t seem to acknowledge that yet.”

The Super Bowl is never niche

The assumption that Super Bowl audiences are overwhelmingly male has been an advertiser misunderstanding for decades, argued Derek Rucker, professor of advertising strategy at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management.

“Twenty years ago, the split wasn’t even that pronounced—there were lots of women watching,” Rucker said.

Advertisers that fail to understand that a Super Bowl audience cuts across all demographics leave a lot on the table, he explained. When you’re spending as much as $10 million for a 30-second ad placement, it’s wisest to craft a broad crowd pleaser. Otherwise, you’re best spending your ad dollars elsewhere, he said.

“You’re paying for 100 million people,” Rucker said. “If you have a niche-focused product or a niche-focused ad, don’t use the Super Bowl.”