Without a doubt, the most talked about ad spot for the upcoming Superbowl XLI is the Kevin Federline commercial for Nationwide Insurance. However, the reason the ad is being discussed so much isn’t because it’s set to air during the big game, it’s that it was released online the week before, and has created quite a stir.
The first ingredient to this masterful bit of marketing is Federline himself. Most famous for being the ex-husband of pop princess Brittney Spears, he is one of the most talked about personalities in America. Add his lackluster success as a rap artist, and a significant sense of humor, and you have a hilarious commerical.
In the commercial, Federline is portrayed as a successful artist who suddenly finds himself working the fryers at a local fast food restaurant - fitting with the well-known tagline “Life comes at you fast.” The concept for the commercial is really good, but it’s not the reason that there has been so much discussion surrounding it. The real reason that is driving all the internet, radio, and television commentary on this commercial is the fact the National Restaurant Association has taken its portrayal of working in the fast food industry as a negative thing pretty personally. Without going into the ins and outs of that controversy, let’s see what we have from a marketing standpoint:
1)Proven Concept for Ad Placement (”Life Comes at You Fast”)? - Check
2)Slightly Controversial celebrity spokesperson? - Check
3)Entertaining (and slightly realistic) creative? - Check
4)Viral Quality to video? - Check
5)Just enough controversy to make sure people keep talking about you? - Check
6)Millions of visitors to your website before your ad even officially airs? - Check
Brilliant. I’d like to tag Bill Tancer to let us know what Hitwise has to say about their market share before this video ‘leaked’ and after.
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