Most advertising slots for the 2009 Super Bowl that weren’t sold in September still haven’t moved, a change from earlier in the year when NBC announced the airtime had been selling faster than usual.
Super Bowl regulars FedEx Corp., Garmin Ltd., and General Motors Corp. are sitting out this year’s football championship, to be held Feb. 1 in Tampa, Fla. But NBC says it is negotiating with other potential advertisers for the eight 30-second advertising spots that remain open.
“We’re hearing from a lot of companies,” said NBC’s Brian Walker. “This is a time to show strength and confidence in their brands in a challenging economy.”
Walker said NBC had a total of around 67 spots for Super Bowl XLIII and has sold about 59, or 88 percent. In September, NBC said 85 percent of the 30-second spots had sold for about $3 million each. Typically, 60 percent of Super Bowl slots sell by then.
The National Football League championship is considered the premier advertising event of the year, and it often heralds new trends in advertising sales and styles.
Walker said NBC could technically sell ad spots up to the last minute before the event. He declined to say whether NBC is facing pressure from companies to discount rates.
GM, which bought airtime during the Super Bowl for about a decade, is cutting costs as part of a restructuring plan that was in place even before the automaker requested federal help.
FedEx spokeswoman Carla Boyd said that the company has “no plans to advertise” during the game for now, though she declined to give a reason. The shipping company was a Super Bowl advertiser for a dozen years.
Garmin, which has bought ads in the past two Super Bowls, said it won’t do so in 2009. Spokesman Ted Gartner said the shift wasn’t related to the economy but to a change in strategy.
Many traditional Super Bowl sponsors are staying on, Walker said, including prepackaged goods and beverage companies and nearly every major movie studio.
At least one sponsor is returning after an extended absence: Monster Worldwide Inc., whose last Super Bowl appearance was in 2004.
Monster spokesman Steve Sylven said the return to the championship is part of a multiyear advertising partnership with the NFL that kicks off at the games, as the job-search company unveils a redesigned website on Jan. 10.
Anheuser-Busch is one company that’s going to keep advertising. It bought 10 30-second spots, some of which will be combined to run as 60-second spots.
