Rakuten is joining the Super Bowl ad game for the first time as it looks to claim a leadership position among the increasingly crowded cash-back platforms.  

“The Super Bowl is the best place to do that,” said Victoria McRae, VP, brand and creative at Rakuten Rewards. 

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Rakuten will air a 30-second commercial in the first half of the game. The commercial, which was created in-house, is set in a casino, comparing shopping to a game of high-stakes poker, McRae said. 

As consumers more rapidly adopted e-commerce amid the pandemic, McRae said the idea of finding the best deal and shopping smarter is especially relevant. 

The spot will star an “A-list” celebrity, McRae added, but declined to provide specifics. Two fashion influencers who are sisters will also make a cameo in the Super Bowl spot, McRae said, without giving any names. 

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As influencer marketing gained in prevalence in 2021 thanks to platforms like TikTok, brands have been eager to tap these online personalities to help promote products and create content to reach younger audiences. Aside from the cameo in the Big Game spot, Rakuten will also utilize these influencers to create ancillary content tied to the campaign. 

While influencer marketing is certainly not new, typically brands rely on high-profile celebrities in the Super Bowl in the hopes of resonating with the largest audience possible. Charli D’Amelio did appear in a Sabra Super Bowl ad in 2020. 

Rakuten, which rebranded from eBates in 2019, is the latest brand to announce its 2022 Super Bowl ad plans: Nissan will return to the game for the first time since 2015, joining mainstays like TurboTax. Super Bowl LVI will also mark the return of Avocados From Mexico to the game and the first foray for cryptocurrency exchange FTX. 

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