Highdive continues to punch above its weight as the small agency with a massive Super Bowl pedigree. The Chicago-based shop, now 70 employees strong, has for three consecutive years created the No. 1 Big Game spot, according to the USA Today Ad Meter.
Highdive smashed the Super Bowl once again
For the past two years, that ad has been for Rocket Mortgage. This year's spot, which memorably starred Anna Kendrick in a property bidding frenzy over the Barbie Dream House, garnered more than 900 PR mentions and more than 4 billion impressions.
Another high-profile Super Bowl campaign for Lay’s starred Paul Rudd and Seth Rogen sharing fond memories to promote the tagline “stay golden.” As well as the TV ad, Highdive created a wider campaign including a TikTok activation inviting users to create their own “golden memory” to the Shania Twain classic "You're Still the One."
Being tapped for such high-profile work has resulted in healthy revenue increases, from $13.5 million in 2020 to $20.5 million in 2021. Highdive has projected revenue of $24 million for this year. Although it parted ways with insurance account The General at the start of 2022, it made up for that revenue through growth from existing and new clients.
As well as its creative skills, Highdive now has an in-house production studio, named 1986, which it says is a “flexible, fast, cost-effective option” for producing content for its clients. And its work isn’t confined to Big Game spots; another buzzy stunt last year saw it jump into the “chicken sandwich wars” for candy brand Airheads by creating its own offering: chicken on a bun made entirely from fused-together Airheads Xtremes Belts, which was served from a food truck and a Chicago restaurant.