Sam’s Club is launching its first-ever Super Bowl spot, turning to actor, comedian and entrepreneur Kevin Hart to create and star in an ad.
The 30-second commercial, which will run at the two-minute warning in the fourth quarter of the Feb.13 broadcast on NBC, features Hart shopping under the assumption that he’s receiving a VIP experience because of his celebrity, not knowing that he’s using a service available for all members via the Sam’s Club app—its Scan & Go checkout function.
The campaign was developed with WPP’s VMLY&R, the agency that won the retailer’s assignment last year following a review.
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The idea of general customers getting the same treatment as VIPs has become a popular theme in ads on heavy rotation during football broadcasts this year. The concept has been a staple of current campaigns both for State Farm and AT&T.
Sam’s, a unit of Walmart, is a top-six retailer in its own right but has long been overshadowed by its giant sibling. Walmart, which has run Super Bowl ads in years past, has yet to say if it plans to be in the game this year.