Pennsylvania building materials supplier 84 Lumber is not known as a major US TV advertiser and yet this year it decided to invest in a societal statement, brand-values spot on the biggest American stage of all – the Super Bowl
A 90-second Big Game commercial – in a year that saw Fox charging around $5m for 30-seconds – is a huge move for any brand (even one with a $2.5bn a year revenue like 84 Lumber) and one with a pro-immigration script based on Trump’s Mexican Wall is a huge risk.
It certainly looked that way when the commercial was rejected by Super Bowl broadcaster Fox for being too controversial: nerves must have been jangling amongst its marketing team, its agency Banner and at board level too.
But the braver decision-makers at the brand stayed true to its original values and vision and got around the Fox ban by simply splitting its film in two: showing half during the game (footage that Fox would allow) and the other half online immediately afterwards.
After the whirlwind PR coverage surrounding the banning of the spot by broadcaster Fox, the brand leveraged industry and consumer interest in just what it would do next with intriguing social media teasers rolling out from late January.
Tread boldly. pic.twitter.com/1X8VorSPXC
— 84 Lumber Company (@84LumberNews) January 30, 2017
No detail is too small. Watch the pieces come together 2.5.17. pic.twitter.com/tND1qBMt7r
— 84 Lumber Company (@84LumberNews) January 31, 2017
Everything will fall into place. Begin the journey Sunday during halftime. pic.twitter.com/3ebOSL4Kh1
— 84 Lumber Company (@84LumberNews) January 31, 2017
The biggest journey can begin with the smallest hope. Experience it 2.5.17 during halftime. pic.twitter.com/Xnimnrrd7g
— 84 Lumber Company (@84LumberNews) February 1, 2017
Take the journey. pic.twitter.com/l4r03cNNOp
— 84 Lumber Company (@84LumberNews) February 1, 2017
The brand played on the ad’s ban: for example, its home page carries the copy ‘Complete The Journey: Contains content deemed to controversial for TV’
Before releasing Part 1 of the cut-in-two commercial on digital and social channels on 2 February,
Part one of the 84 Lumber Super Bowl commercial. See the story’s conclusion on Sunday during halftime at https://t.co/MBuO0iBMFF. pic.twitter.com/WrdyWfbrr6
— 84 Lumber Company (@84LumberNews) February 2, 2017
before it aired in the Super Bowl itself during half-time.
The Big Game half-ad then channelled viewers to the full, un-cut commercial on its YouTube channel
and on its other platforms like Twitter.
Our complete Super Bowl story. See a mother & daughter’s symbolic journey toward becoming legal American citizens. https://t.co/AiI3MLrVd5
— 84 Lumber Company (@84LumberNews) February 6, 2017
The full spot is a yearning, moving meditation on the American Dream seen through the eyes of a migrant mother and child on the other side of the Mexican border.
The full film ends with the tagline: ‘The will to succeed is always welcome here’ and the spot was supported by a final ‘statement’ tweet.
.@Latinos4PP We will always support the American Dream.
— 84 Lumber Company (@84LumberNews) February 6, 2017
The assets all drove viewers online to the brand’s website to ‘Learn more about opportunities with 84 Lumber at http://www.journey84.com/’
As with any spot like this, one bound to generate controversy amidst the US political maelstrom, the brand’s social media team was on-hand to continue the conversation (and both the positive and negative comments) online in real-time through the game.
Activative Comment:
What a spot – full of emotion, defiance and risk.
There have been several stand-out serious Super Bowl spots making political statements amidst the current US political turmoil – such as AirBnB, Audi and Budweiser (and one less serious, but political all the same from ‘It’s a 10’) – but surely this is the most fascinating ad story of Super Bowl 51!
It’s not just the 2,569,945 YouTube views in 5 hours, but the fact that interest in the brand after the ad aired was so high that it crashed the 84 Lumber home page.
There were, unsurprisingly, reactive negative social posts of the #Ban84Lumber type: but in the current climate it has become expected any time anyone puts their head above the parapet.
Is #BanBrandX the new marketing norm?
I'd start a #ban84lumber but I don't know what 84 Lumber does. Fuck it. #dontusewood! #superbowl #commercials
— Sanchez (@Buck_Knuckle) February 6, 2017
Whether the brand’s website was overwhelmed by supporters or critics remains to be seen, but it certainly supports ad industry opinion that this was the biggest Super Bowl spot story of 2017.
Links:
84 Lumber
https://www.youtube.com/user/84lumbervideos
https://twitter.com/84lumbernews
https://www.facebook.com/84lumber
https://plus.google.com/u/0/108916262376103847361
Brunner
