Inside Known’s first Super Bowl campaign sending civilians to space

Super Bowl Sunday will mark nearly one year to the day that Known was formed. It’s celebrating its birthday with two Super Bowl ads. The marketing company, which is the result of the coming together of Schireson, Stun Creative and Blackbird, is behind the campaign around the first civilian mission to space. Earlier this week, SpaceX announced the mission will be led by Jared Isaacman, the founder and CEO of Shift4 Payments, an integrated payment processing and technology solutions company, and it will seek to raise support for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Isaacman is donating the three mission seats alongside him to crew members who will be selected to represent the mission based on the pillars of leadership, hope, generosity and prosperity. One seat will be filled by a St. Jude ambassador and another seat will go to the member of the public who can enter for a chance to join the flight to space by supporting the mission of St. Jude. Isaacman has committed to give $100 million to St. Jude and is looking to raise upward of $200 million from the mission. The final seat will go to an entrepreneur who utilizes the new Shift4Shop e-commerce platform. Current and new Shift4Shop customers will have an opportunity to enter an online competition showcasing them and their business. “This is a human first. There will be many humans that go to space one day just like going in your car. But right now one group gets to go up first,” says Ross Martin, president and chief experience officer, Known. “One reason we are so proud of this and excited is when you think about how much we all lost in 2020, this is a moment of hope and human achievement,” he adds, noting how this marks the beginning or democratizing space travel and is a moment of national pride. The 30-second Super Bowl commercial will invite the 100 million or so viewers who are expected to tune into the game the chance to be a part of the mission. It showcases the SpaceX suit set to a take of the classic children’s song “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star” from an emerging artist Celeste. The adult spin on a child’s song is meant to capture a sense of hope and inspiration, which the mission is all about, says Brad Roth, president, studios, Known. The last shot of the commercial is meant to invite people to picture themselves in the suit, exemplifying how anyone can now go into space by creating a sense that your own face is reflecting back, says Mark Feldstein, president, studios, Known. Known’s creative team worked closely with its data and strategy team to identify the central human truth of the ad: that there is a childhood dream everyone has, imagining what it would be like to touch the stars, Feldstein says. The spot was produced by Durable Goods and directed by Bryce Dallas Howard, daughter of Ron Howard, who directed episodes of “The Mandalorian.” Octavia Spencer narrates the commercial. Known handled every aspect of the campaign, from strategy, research, media planning and buying, optimization and the creative, which is not typical for Super Bowl campaigns. This is not Known’s only Super Bowl effort, it also working on a spot for the National Football League promoting its online shop that will air in the first commercial break after the game ends.

Inside Known’s first Super Bowl campaign sending civilians to space

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