Does Steve work at Blockbuster? Or is he there to rent “A Bug’s Life”?
As ridiculous as it is, the stunt—by the agency Atlantic New York—is a good example of how to do Super Bowl hijacking right. Take an underdog/cult brand, craft some eye-catching teasers, come up with a quirky, buzz-worthy theme (creatively and with a media plan), and make the reveal worth it—all based at the intersection of a cultural truth (fears of the world ending) and brand truth (resilience as well as analog-over-algorithmic searching).
To that last point, store manager Sandi Harding said last week: “We want to remind everyone that there’s something special about the tangible experience of browsing the shelves and discovering something new. And honestly, if the world is ending, we want to go out with a bang.”