Super Bowl Spot From Intuit To Feature Death Wish Coffee; Axe Returns To Big Game
New York-based Death Wish Coffee "won a nationwide competition" for small businesses sponsored by software developer Intuit and will be featured in a 30-second Super Bowl ad, according to Lindsay Ellis of the Albany TIMES UNION. Death Wish's video "was a winner out of 15,000 entries to land the ad placement," worth an estimated $5M. A public vote "chose Death Wish from a group of finalists." In the winning ad, produced by RPA, Santa Monica, Vikings "race a ship toward a waterfall cliff amid crashing waves as a captain tells his men to be fearless." As the boat -- "flagged by the Death Wish Coffee skull and crossbones -- topples over the edge of the waterfall, the stormy waters are revealed to be coffee itself, falling into the mouth of a man in his kitchen." The ad's closing message is "Death Wish Coffee -- fiercely caffeinated" (Albany TIMES UNION, 1/29). Death Wish Coffee Founder Mike Brown said the company is “aware that millions of people are going to see Death Wish Coffee for the first time.” After the commercial was released on Thursday, he said the company “had our best day in sales” (“Squawk Box,” CNBC, 1/29).
FIRST TIME FOR EVERYTHING: AD AGE's Jeanine Poggi noted there are "currently 13 confirmed marketers that will air commercials in the big game for the first time," up from 10 in '15. That figure "would make Super Bowl 50 the third most popular game for new advertisers since such stats began being tracked." Data from Kantar Media shows that since its tracking began in '88, Super Bowl XXXIV in '00 had the most first-time advertisers with 19, while Super Bowl XXXIII the previous year had 14. The list of rookies "includes household names Amazon, Colgate, PayPal, Buick and LG, as well as lesser-known companies like outdoor clothing maker Marmot, laundry detergent brand Henkel's Persil ProClean and financial lender SoFi." Other newcomers include Apartments.com, Pokemon, Quicken Loans, SunTrust and Anheuser-Busch's Shock Top brand. Henkel "will use the platform to expand the reach of its Persil ProClean laundry detergent, which was introduced in Walmart stores" this past March and "rolled out to other national retailers throughout the year." Quicken Loans "will promote its new online mortgage service, Rocket Mortgage," while LG "will air a 60-second spot starring actor Liam Neeson to showcase its TVs with OLED" (ADAGE.com, 1/28).
FUNNY CARS: ADWEEK's Katie Richards noted Hyundai's two in-game ads will feature "two big-name celebrities" -- actors Ryan Reynolds and Kevin Hart. There also are two 60-second pregame spots for Hyundai. The two 30-second in-game spots "both use humor and show off new technologies." The first, "The Chase," opens with a couple "dashing through an eerie forest, clearly being chased by large, growling animals." It shows off the "voice-activated remote starter on the new Elantra and how it can be a real lifesaver when you think you're being chased by vicious bears." "Ryanville," the second in-game spot, stars Reynolds and is "slated to run in the second quarter." The ad, also featuring the Elantra, begins with two women driving as they find Reynolds in "various scenarios including dog walking and using a jackhammer on the side of the road." The driver "takes her eyes off the road and relies on the car's safety features to prevent an accident" (ADWEEK.com, 1/28). Meanwhile, VARIETY's Brian Steinberg noted Acura's ad will use "some of the iconic elements of the Van Halen song 'Running with the Devil.'" The spot "will air in the first quarter of the game" and "tout the automaker’s NSX." The ad comes via MullenLowe, L.A. (VARIETY.com, 1/28).
MAGIC AXE: ADWEEK's Tim Nudd reported grooming products brand Axe has "enjoyed such a positive reaction to its 'Find Your Magic' campaign, launched earlier this month, that it's bringing a 30-second version of the anthem TV commercial to the Super Bowl." This will be Axe's first Super Bowl spot since its '14 "Make Love, Not War" spot, created by BBH, London (ADWEEK.com, 1/28).
