Little Caesars’ first Super Bowl commercial aims to show that getting its pizza delivered is the best thing since sliced bread.

The “Pizza! Pizza!” chain’s 30-second spot centers on the CEO of Sliced Bread Inc., played by Rainn Wilson. His company and career implode after Little Caesars begins offering delivery of online orders, which customers declare “is the best thing since sliced bread.”

Cue the chaos.

Wilson’s character becomes increasingly unhinged and (spoiler alert) he ultimately winds up with a new career.

Little Caesars, eager to make a splash with its Super Bowl debut, is offering free Hot-N-Ready lunch combos on Feb. 17—for carryout, not delivery—if the ad wins the top spot in the USA Today Ad Meter ranking.

While Little Caesars is new to the Super Bowl, Jeff Klein, senior VP of global marketing at the Detroit-based pizza chain since 2019, is not. He was part of Doritos' “Crash the Super Bowl” ads for eight years during his tenure at Frito-Lay. Some of those consumer-generated ads led the USA Today Ad Meter.

“What I’ve always hoped for is that you have news that’s worthy of the discussion of whether to enter the game or not,” says Klein.

The timing was right for Little Caesars this year because it recently introduced nationwide delivery. Until now, Little Caesars was left out of the delivery conversation, while rivals such as Domino’s celebrated delivery in their marketing. Now, Little Caesars can do the same, while also emphasizing its value pricing.

The sliced-bread idea was one of many that agency McKinney presented when it pitched last year and it seemed like the right fit for the Super Bowl’s broad audience, says Klein. “It is a phrase that is known by every generation,” he says.

Featuring Wilson helps the brand connect with current and old fans of his character Dwight Schrute from “The Office.” Plus, there are parallels one could draw between the fictitious Sliced Bread Inc. and Dunder Mifflin, the fictitious paper company in “The Office,” which, as Klein sees it, was “batting above its weight in an industry that was ripe for disruption.”

Other planned marketing efforts include making seats for some influencers out of pizza boxes, and social media banter with other brands on Super Bowl Sunday. Plus, there’s that attempt to top the USA Today Ad Meter. Little Caesars is reminding viewers of that plan with a full-page ad in Friday’s USA Today.

“I think most brands watch the Ad Meter more than they would like to admit,” says Klein.

Trying to get people to vote for the ad is all about maximizing views of the spot, adds Klein. “If we win, it’s a cherry on top,” he says.

Along with the 30-second spot set to air in the third quarter, Little Caesars released a 63-second extended cut.