Matthew McConaughey prefers earth to metaverse in Salesforce's Super Bowl and Olympics ad

Dressed as an astronaut, the actor emphasizes that the earth is just as important as other 'new frontiers'

Published On
Feb 07, 2022

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Salesforce tapped actor Matthew McConaughey for its new campaign debuting during the Winter Olympics and running during the Super Bowl.

The “New Frontier” spot is part of Salesforce’s "Team Earth" campaign, which calls on businesses and individuals to rally around a fair and more sustainable future. 

It features McConaughey as an astronaut who initially seems awed by the “new frontier” of space—but quickly realizes he is more fond of what earth has to offer.

With the ad, Salesforce is asserting that people should continue to take care of the planet, despite the “hype around going to the metaverse, Mars, space,” said Sarah Franklin, Salesforce’s CMO. “We can’t leave behind our most precious things.”

The ad, which will also run nationally during the Super Bowl, is set to air during the Olympics opening ceremony, where Salesforce is a sponsor of Team USA. Both the Olympics and Super Bowl will air on NBC. 

The campaign was created by the company's in-house team, along with McConaughey. Dante Ariola directed the spot via MJZ, with production and post via The Mill, Final Cut Edit and Lime. 

Salesforce's previous campaign aimed to help average consumers understand what it does. In line with this, Franklin called the campaign an opportunity to show consumers “what is our heart, where are our values are—what are we going to stand for.” 

The campaign marks just the beginning of Salesforce's partnership with McConaughey, who will also serve as its newest brand advisor. Both came together over the shared belief that businesses have the responsibility to drive change and not just profit. 

As part of its efforts, Salesforce is also committing $495 million to charities and schools. The company will also be making other donations toward racial equity and the environment. According to Franklin, the charities are selected by Salesforce employees. “Every employee at Salesforce gets to choose how they donate their time, or money,” which creates “a huge diverse portfolio," she said.

The campaign is in line with Salesforce’s record highlighting social causes, according to Dan Romanoff, Morningstar senior equity research analyst. The company’s co-founder and co-CEO Marc Benioff has been “politically outspoken,” he added.  Benioff has been known for taking a stand, and calling on other CEOs to take a stand, over issues ranging from LGBTQ rights to climate change.

This focus on environmental and social justice has also been a higher priority for investors over the past five years, said Romanoff.

The campaign comes as demand for software and digital transformation grows, Romanoff said. The company recently bought Slack, which Romanoff identified as a potential challenge that will require the company to ensure that the platform is sufficiently integrated and employees are on board from a cultural standpoint.