NEW YORK - A small business star will be born during a commercial break in Super Bowl XLVIII.
A company yet to be selected will have its own 30-second ad during the game, giving it the kind of exposure usually reserved for mega-brands like Budweiser and Chevrolet. The spot will be the culmination of a competition sponsored by software maker Intuit Inc., which has never run a Super Bowl commercial of its own, but is paying for one small business to be in the spotlight during the third quarter of the Big Game.
"This is the sort of thing that small businesses dream about," says Tim Calkins, a professor of marketing at Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management. "It's impossible to match the attention you get from being in the Super Bowl."
There's also some risk. Small businesses often don't have the capacity to handle the kind of exposure that the winner is bound to get. The company will need to be prepared to handle the sudden surge in business it might get from the ad. Intuit, which makes software for small businesses said that ability will be one of the criteria companies must meet to make it to the final stages of the competition.
The Super Bowl draws more than 100 million U.S. viewers. The game between the Baltimore Ravens and San Francisco 49ers in February was seen by 108.4 million people.
Super Bowl commercials are a "can you top that" showcase for advertising agencies, which try to come up with the funniest and most memorable ads. The commercials have become as a big a deal as the game and the halftime show. Viewers tweet their reactions and post comments on Facebook during the game and chat about the best and worst when they get to work the next day.
"The advertising is entertainment in and of itself," said Sheri Bridges, an associate professor of marketing at Wake Forest University's School of Business.
The small business commercial will differ from most Super Bowl commercials, which add another layer of gloss to a well-known brand. The small business spot will be created by RPA, an advertising agency that has produced past Super Bowl commercials, including an Acura ad starring Jerry Seinfeld and a Honda spot with Matthew Broderick for the 2012 game.