Interest in local ad spots for Sunday’s Super Bowl XL slipped after the Broncos lost their shot at the big game two weeks ago. But KMGH-Channel 7, the ABC affiliate airing the matchup, has nonetheless sold all local ad time available for the game.
Station manager Darrell Brown declined to name the advertisers, the number of local spots available or the prices they fetched.
“There was tremendous interest when the Broncos looked like they were heading to the game. The bulk of the inventory was sold at that point,” Brown said Thursday. “It softened after the Broncos lost.”
Thirty-second local spots during Sunday’s game cost $40,000 to $50,000 if purchased as part of a package that includes slots during other programs, said Steve Sander, principal at Denver’s Pure Brand Communications.
Single spots can cost between $50,000 and $75,000, and prices can vary depending on when the ads were purchased. Companies that rushed to buy spots when the Broncos were in the running for the game likely paid more, Sander said.
Even without the hometown team in the game, many advertisers still covet the chance to reach a Super Bowl audience because it is one of the few times that viewers tune in with the intention of watching commercials.
“It’s a great venue … because people are accustomed to seeing the latest and greatest commercials,” said Joe Hodas, a spokesman for Frontier Airlines.
Frontier has purchased four spots during Sunday’s game. The airline will cap its ongoing “Flip to Mexico” campaign, in which the dolphin adorning the tail of a Frontier jetliner pleads to fly a Mexico route.
The company advanced the storyline through the playoffs. It intends to deliver its answer to the dolphin’s ultimatum during the game, Hodas said.
Frontier will face United Airlines, which also has purchased local spots.
United, which emerged from bankruptcy Wednesday, will debut a 60-second ad scheduled to air in Denver, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Washington, D.C.
The ad is United’s first Super Bowl spot in at least a decade, the company said. The ad, produced by Fallon Worldwide, uses stop-motion animation and puppetry to portray a child’s perception of a parent’s business trip. It will debut before the start of the halftime show.
Phoenix-based Jobing.com LLC, an online job-posting company, also will advertise during Sunday’s game. The company will air two spots in Denver during the game and another after the broadcast.
The company has previously purchased local spots in other markets, but Sunday will mark the first time it will have used the Super Bowl to advertise in Denver, Jobing.com vice president Brian Eastwood said.
A previous Super Bowl advertiser, Denver-based Quiznos, said Thursday it will not advertise during the game.
Staff writer Kristi Arellano can be reached at 303-820-1902 or karellano@denverpost.com.
