When you think of Super Bowl commercials, your mind likely goes to a mix of soft drinks, chips, and dancing babies (for me, at least). But for Super Bowl LIII travel commercials, the field is pretty sparse.
For the 2019 Super Bowl, Norwegian Cruise Line and Turkish Airways have each ponied up big for national airtime.
To be fair, spending upwards of $5 million for a 30 second ad is nothing to scoff at. But it is big money going in front of one of the world’s largest television audiences.
Let’s get right to the commercials, because that’s what you’re really here for.
Super Bowl LIII Travel Commercials
Norwegian Cruise Line “Good to Be Free”
The cruise line is running the ad in conjunction with a sweepstakes for answering trivia questions on Facebook and Twitter during the big game.
Norwegian said two winners will be announced per quarter of the game.
In addition, for every pick six play, Norwegian will give away six additional seven-day Caribbean cruises and will donate a cruise to the Boys and Girls Club in recognition of the player who made the scoring interception.
Get more information and access to all rules, terms, and conditions here.
Turkish Airways “The Journey” Preview
This will be Turkish Airlines third consecutive Super Bowl appearance. The company began running ads for the big game in 2017.
The airline is running the ad in conjunction with its 85 year anniversary, as well as the official opening of the new Istanbul Airport.
Its commercial is actually a cut of a six-minute short film by director Sir Ridley Scott. Known for the iconic “1984” Apple commercial and blockbuster films Gladiator and Blade Runner, Scott is returning to commercial production for the first time in nearly 20 years.
The airline did not officially pre-release the commercial on Youtube ahead of the Super Bowl, but distributed teasers of it. They also released a behind the scenes video of making the commercial, that includes interviews with Ridley Scott.
You can expect to see this ad in the first quarter, according to The New York Post.
According to AdAge, the last time an airline had a large presence in the Super Bowl was American in 1987 and 1988.
Do you think more travel companies should use the Super Bowl as an advertising platform? Share your thoughts in the comments.
Featured image courtesy of Norwegian Cruise Line via Youtube.
