In Springfield, Mo., KRBK's Big Super Bowl Ad Was Its Own

In the spirit of great Super Bowl ads, KRBK, the Fox affiliate in Springfield, Mo., went all-out in creating a buzzworthy spot to drive consumers to a product – in this case, the station itself.

Right before halftime, the Koplar Communications-owned station used some pretty pricey inventory to air the promo plugging its brand, Fox 5, which doesn't have the kind of recognition station execs would like.

"One of the things we are trying to overcome is getting people to know who we are,” creative services director George Davis said. Five years after becoming Springfield’s Fox affiliate, it’s not unusual for viewers to think they are still watching the former Fox affiliate, KSFX—whose call letters don’t even exist anymore. That KYTV, Gray’s NBC affiliate, is a “powerhouse station,” doesn’t help, either, he says.

Filmed in the heart of Springfield, using the town’s Fox Theater as a backdrop, the spot features talk show host Jeff Houghton (Davis says “he is Springfield famous) reinforcing Fox 5 is, well, just that.

The idea seems to be working. Football fans gave a thumbs up on social media. A longer version of the promo, which ran on Facebook, has garnered 47,000 viewers so far and been shared roughly 650 times so far.

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HenEm9rz0jA[/embed]