Super Bowl ads selling for estimated $5 million or more

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BLACKSBURG (WSLS 10) - Studies show that 18 percent of Super Bowl viewers only watch the big game to see the commercials.

The cost of every 30-second spot this year is estimated between $5 million and $5.5 million. That cost has doubled since 2007.

Experts said that although the cost of the ads is about $5 million, the estimated value is more like $8 million to $10 million. That is because of all the media hype, social media and YouTube views that many of the commercials get beyond just the Super Bowl.

"If you only pay 5 million, that's a 50 percent discount, right? But there is another question that some people might think, and that is 'okay, what is the ad value? What does it mean in terms of bottom line? Am I actually making that in sales?' That is questionable. We're not fully sure yet," explained Virginia Tech professor of marketing Rajesh Bagchi.

During the 1967 Super Bowl, a 30-second commercial cost $42,000.