Marshawn Lynch started the party by knocking a football off a cake.youtube
At a cost of more than $5 million a pop, Super Bowl ads are both the highest-pressure and highest-profile assignment for every buyer and their creative agencies. Yet, for Super Bowl LIII in February, by far the most memorable and successful ad came from the NFL itself.
“The 100 Year Game” delivered, both in immediate impact and long-term image enhancement. Frustrated by the Patriots’ 13-3 win over the Rams in what would prove to be the lowest scoring game in Super Bowl history, fans took to Twitter in overwhelming numbers to register their surprise and glee at the dozens of familiar faces, the funny script and the table-smashing action on display in the two-minute spot.
Simply put, it was great television. Other top ads this year — such as MLB’s “We Play Loud” and Nike’s “Dream Crazier” — were clever, thought-provoking and artfully made. “The 100 Year Game” was all of that, plus an awful lot of fun, which is why it’s our choice for Best Creative of 2019.
The ad also worked in the big picture, too. In kicking off the NFL’s 100th season celebration, it drove home one of the campaign’s main points of emphasis: the cross-generational appeal of the most popular sport in America.
44
The number of NFL players — 22 former and 22 current — who took part in the 100-year ad.
Jim Brown, now 83 years old, was there. So was JuJu Smith Shuster, now 23. Joe Montana threw a pass for Jerry Rice that was intercepted by Deion Sanders. Ed Reed leveled LaDainian Tomlinson. The undefeated 1972 Miami Dolphins laughed and sipped champagne. Franco Harris recreated the “Immaculate Reception.” And all the while, Ninja, the world’s most famous gamer, was waiting tables.
“We knew there would be young people who don’t know what the ‘Immaculate Reception’ was, and they wouldn’t know who Jim Brown was,” said NFL CMO Tim Ellis. “And we knew the dads and moms wouldn’t know who the guy with purple hair was. But we wanted to spark that conversation about football.”
The project was part of agency 72 and Sunny’s pitch to win the NFL’s business. Founder Glenn Cole, Ellis and director Peter Berg led the project.
Some sports sell to the next generation. Some sports play on tradition. “The 100 Year Game” proved the NFL does both, with style.
