A local car dealer will be using nuns, or rather, women dressed as nuns, as pitch people for their message in a local Super Bowl advertisement, one of 16 local spots running during Sunday’s big game on CBS affiliate WYOU.
Wyoming Valley Motors asked people to sing its well-known jingle that concludes with “making good deals, making good friends,” as part of a contest for a commercial spot. They let the public vote.
The nuns, actually an outreach music ministry called Changing Habits from Gate of Heaven Church in Dallas, won the public voting hands down, beating an amateur opera singer, a guitar-strumming young woman, and four young men offering a multipart harmony rendition.
Changing Habits, established two decades ago after the movie “Sister Act,” is made up of about 18 women. The troupe performs song and clean comedy routines for nursing homes, parties and other events, and uses the donations for the needy.
“We didn’t think we would win but we are happy we did,” said Marilyn O’Connell, who directs the troupe. “We hope it will highlight the work we do with the ministry.”
Wyoming Valley Motors joins several other local entities who bought time during the most watched television event of the year. The local CBS affiliate, WYOU, has eight precious minutes to offer, most of that in 30-second spots.
Steve Ubaldini, managing partner of Wyoming Valley Motors, wanted customers and the public to be engaged in the car dealer’s efforts and came up with the contest. They received more than a dozen very good submissions to consider, he said, but also dozens of others that weren’t ready for prime time.
The dealership will have three Super Bowl ads. A second also relies on customer-generated content. The dealership put out a request to its Subaru owners to visit the dealership and speak on camera about what they like about their car and the dealership. More than 100 customers showed up. A montage of some of those comments will make up the commercial.
The third commercial is a cooperative ad with Audi.
“We do it because the Super Bowl is the most watched event of the year,” Mr. Ubaldini said.
While the cost for a national 30-second spot aired during Super Bowl 50 is close to $5 million, the price for regional ads is a guarded secret.
Mr. Ubaldini said he is not sure what the cost for his spots are since he purchased the time on WYOU as part of a larger advertising package.
Local television officials aren’t willing to say how much the time costs, either. Robert Bee, general manager at the local Nexstar Broadcasting office, declined to disclose the price for a spot or identify other businesses that bought the local time.
While the price for Super Bowl time may appear high, Mr. Bee said the cost per viewer may be cheaper than advertising during conventional programing.
In an era where some television viewership is migrating to on-demand viewing, the Super Bowl remains appointment television that just about everyone watches live — paying close attention to the commercials.
“You have all eyes loaded for these spots,” Mr. Bee said.
The Super Bowl rotates between CBS, NBC and FOX. So, two out of three times, the Super Bowl is hosted on a channel operated by Nexstar Broadcasting, which owns NBC affiliate WBRE and operates WYOU under an agreement with Mission Broadcasting.
Phil Condron, president of Condron & Cosgrove Advertising & Communications in Scranton, said the Super Bowl offers advertisers fantastic reach and social media buzz. Local advertisers need to put their best effort forward, however, to create a spot that shows well alongside the national ads, the product of what he calls “creative geniuses.”
“If you run a poorly produced local commercial on the Super Bowl, you can hurt the brand and an expensive opportunity ends up embarrassing to a business,” Mr. Condron said.
Regional convenience store chain Sheetz recognized that and came up with a straightforward Super Bowl commercial that has a refined message, high production value and some laughs paired with a social media campaign #StopAssuming.
A couple on a drive considering meal choices brings up Sheetz and one remarks, “you can’t get good food at a gas station.” Their conversation focuses on assumptions and they both turn into donkeys.
The campaign promotes Sheetz prepared foods, said Tamara Dunkley, Sheetz corporate advertising manager.
“The ultimate message for this spot is that you should not assume you can’t get great food at a gas station. Unfortunately, many people have been conditioned to believe that you simply can’t get good food at a place with gas pumps out front,” she said. “We love to approach our messaging with a sense of humor.”
Contact the writer: dfalchek@timesshamrock.com