Amid a potential sea of sameness in Super Bowl advertising this year, United Airlines is flying a different route. Instead of spending $7 million on one national TV spot, the carrier is investing in six regional ads, five tailored to different cities and one for certain general market areas.

The “Believing Changes Everything” campaign is led by Kyle Chandler, who reprises his role of inspirational coach following his turn as football coach Eric Taylor in the “Friday Night Lights” TV series. The ads spotlight United’s elimination of change fees on flights, a policy that has been in place for more than three years.

“When we started thinking about how we wanted to show up for the Big Game this year, we knew we wanted to take a local approach,” said Maggie Schmerin, United’s chief advertising officer. “Not everyone watching the game is feeling the same way—the majority of viewers are watching someone else’s team play.”

The market-specific ads will air during the game at different times on broadcast TV and on social media in Chicago, Cleveland, Denver, Houston and Kansas City. The general market version will air on TV in Baltimore; Chicago; Cincinnati; Colorado Springs, Colorado; Denver; and Orlando, Florida.

Each of the six 30-second spots shows Chandler speaking directly to the camera to football fans. 

“Houston, I know you’re watching other people’s teams play today. But today is all they get. Tomorrow is yours.” he says in the spot for that Texas market. “Texans fans, this is about believing. Believing so hard that you book your flight to next season’s game before the season even starts.”

At the end of the spots, text reads “But just in case… No fees to change your flight. Ever.”

In the spot for Kansas City, home of the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs, Chandler says, “Kansas City, you’re here. And whatever happens tonight remember who you are so next season, when you try to get here again, and they tell you no one’s that lucky, you know this isn’t about luck.”

United worked with 72andSunny, its agency of record, on the campaign; Chloé Zhao directed the spots and Carat handled media duties. While a spokeswoman declined to provide specific detail on media costs, she noted that local is much more “cost efficient” than the national TV buy.

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Naturally, Chicago-based United made an ad tailored for Chicago Bears fans.

“It starts with the draft, then you build,” Chandler says in the Chicago version of the ad, a nod to the team’s first pick in the upcoming 2024 NFL draft.

The Bears haven’t been in the Super Bowl since 2007 and haven’t won one since 1986.

According to United, 10 million of its customers have changed their flights without paying change fees since the policy took effect in 2020. Last year, the marketer held flights for 730,000 customers so they would not miss their connections as part of its connections saver program. For fans inspired by United to plan ahead, Super Bowl LIX is scheduled to be played in New Orleans on Feb. 9, 2025. 

As the official airline of the San Francisco 49ers and the commercial airline of the Kansas City Chiefs, United plans to fly both teams to and from the game in Las Vegas. The company has also not forgotten to personalize its marketing for Taylor Swift fans. United created special flight numbers that honor Swift and her boyfriend Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce. For example, UA 2287 combines Swift’s hit song and Kelce’s jersey number.

This is not the first time United has taken a local approach to the Super Bowl. Last year, the brand ran a 30-second spot in Denver and Colorado Springs that promoted its holiday performance following the 2022 holiday travel disasters of rival Southwest Airlines.