The NFL’s own pre-kickoff spot at Super Spot LV on 31 January saw a blend of historical footage, AI, an actor and an in-stadium hologram bring legendary coach Vince Lombardi back from the dead to deliver a message of unity in a form of pre-game motivational speach.
Building on the NFL’s own season-long ‘It Takes All Of Us’ campaign, the campaign began on 31 January when the league posted a teaser on its social channels offering clues about the Big Game ad’s theme, message and its protagonist after whom the trophy itself is named.
Coach Lombardi’s philosophy was simple. Work together. Win together.
Tune into #SBLV before kickoff to witness his return to inspire the nation. #LombardiSBLV pic.twitter.com/5SKMYZKGRA
— NFL (@NFL) January 31, 2021
The hero commercial itself wasn’t pre-released and so didn’t air in full until the coin toss.
A combination of historical footage, actor Russ Hutchison and visual effects including proprietary face- and voice-swapping technology brought Lombardi back to life as he walked through everyday America. The ad touches on the pandemic, the fight against racism and other challenges faced in 2020 and capitalises on Lombardi’s memory to captivate the audience with a message of unity.
“This speech is an amalgamation of his speeches that are essentially re-articulated for today,” said NFL marketing boss Tim Ellis. “And I think what comes through is a very strong, positive, human, compassionate, inspiring message for all of us.”
“This year, there’s never been a moment in history where I think the country really needed the NFL to be that cultural guiding light and kind of show a level of strength and resilience and compassion,” Ellis added.
Comment:
The Vince Lombardi Trophy, given to the winning team at the end of every Super Bowl, was named in honour of the legendary Green Bay Packers coach who died in 1970 and was known for his stirring addresses and ability to bring others together as well as his coaching skill.
The league collaborated with the Lombardi family, who approved of the commercial.
This virtual-reality Lombardi wasn’t technically a deepfake, but it did have plenty of viewers a touch confused.
The approach continues the umbrella ‘helmets off’ marketing strategy introduced when Ellis took the league marketing reigns in 2018 which focuses not only on elite athleticism but also on the players’ human contributions to balance entertainment and CSR and which seeks to position the NFL as a unifying force and a cultural/community guiding light.
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