The Super Bowl and Ash Wednesday fall on the same week for the first time since 2008.
Hallow sees it as an opportunity to reach millions of people at once.
"When we found out the Super Bowl was going to fall on the Sunday immediately before Ash Wednesday, we were thrilled at the idea of using it as an opportunity to invite people into prayer, especially to reach out to those who are the hardest to reach, folks who might never otherwise have encountered prayer," Alex Jones, co-founder and CEO of Hallow, told Chicago Inno.
The Chicago startup has a 30-second spot ready to air Sunday starring Mark Wahlberg and Jonathan Roumie.
"The idea for the ad is really just a simple invitation to pray together," Jones said.
Super Bowl commercials are estimated to cost around $7 million for a 30-second national spot this year, with big brands like Bud Light and Pepsi often taking up most of the slots.
Jones didn't disclose the cost of Hallow's ad, but said the spot will run across the 14 major markets, not every market, so it is less expensive than a national ad.
"Hallow is a startup and this is a really big swing for us," he said.
The Super Bowl had 115 million viewers last year.
Last Ash Wednesday, Hallow became the first health wellness app to ever make the top 10 in Apple's AppStore, reaching No. 3 overall.
Now the No. 1 Catholic app in the world, Hallow offers audio-guided prayers, sleep meditations, Bible readings, meditations and music, and has been downloaded 10 million times.
Founded in 2018 by Jones, Alessandro DiSanto and Erich Kerekes, Hallow was named an Inno Fire winner in 2023, after raising a $50 million Series C led by Goodwater Capital.
A preview of the commercial can be found here.
