Sunday’s game will have another newcomer. Greenlight, the banking app and debit card for kids, will debut a 30-second spot in the Super Bowl featuring Ty Burrell of “Modern Family” fame.
It’s a big investment for the five-year-old fintech brand, which has been boosting its marketing investment in recent years as it strives to grow awareness amid competition from newer brands such as Copper Banking and financial services behemoth Chase. Each marketer is taking its own approach to marketing, with Greenlight making the most visible move, putting its brand in the spotlight on advertising's biggest night.
“The goal of the Super Bowl and the surrounding campaign is to take advantage of the unique reach of parents and kids watching the Super Bowl together,” said Rachel Hamilton, Greenlight’s chief marketing officer. “Our parent is the customer, and our marketing is all about reaching the parent, but these sports moments bring [more access.]”
While Greenlight invested in some TV marketing over the summer and often works with influencers, the new campaign is its first work with a celebrity. In the commercial, Burrell makes a series of funny yet ill-advised purchases—he buys a fancy yacht, even though he gets seasick, purchases a suit of armor and a 12-handed massage chair, and also invests in a hot air balloon emblazoned with his face, before realizing he’s broke. At the end of the ad, an observing father tells his kids, “And that’s why mom and I use Greenlight to teach you about money.”