Source Communications Lands Ad Account For Super Bowl XLVII Host Committee

With around 60 employees, Source Communications is a relatively small agency by the standards of the N.Y. market. However, it has won a shootout for an assignment any agency would covet: the creative assignment for the ‘14 New York/New Jersey Super Bowl Host Committee. With an eye toward underscoring the two teams and two states hosting Super Bowl XLVIII, print and TV ads will showcase famous local images with a football twist. The Statue of Liberty will be depicted in ads wearing football shoulder pads, while the George Washington Bridge will have a football field planted on its upper deck. TV ads are expected to start during local pods of this weekend's Jets and Giants game telecasts. While it has long serviced sports-centric clients, including Wise Foods, Amtrak, and a number of Subway franchisees, Source recently launched an internal sports marketing shop, Source1 Sports. Why an ad campaign for a game with no need for help selling tickets? "The assignment is to get the area excited about the first cold-weather Super Bowl that will really be played outside," said Source President Larry Rothstein. "We want to make it a celebration for everyone in the area."

LET IT SNOW: The host committee today unveiled its ad and marketing campaign amid jokes that the first outdoor cold weather Super Bowl is expected to fail. “We have a lot of people betting against us,” said NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell at a breakfast press conference at the Museum of Modern Art in midtown Manhattan. Jets Owner Woody Johnson said, “The world is waiting for us to screw up.” The logo of the host committee features a snowflake, indicating the organizers have decided to embrace the notion that severe weather could affect the game. The tag line of the print advertisement reads, “A Super Bowl So Historic, It Takes Two States To Host It.” The television and print advertisements are designed to introduce the New York/New Jersey Super Bowl Host Committee to the metro-area market, as well as the 22 corporate sponsors. The print ad launches in tomorrow's N.Y. Times. After the press conference, host committee CEO Al Kelly said he expected his group to raise $50M to stage the event.