WeatherTech appeals to patriotism in return to the Super Bowl

One of the new perennial big-game advertisers believes every cent of its Super Bowl buy is worth it. Bolingbrook-based MacNeil Automotive Products will show a TV spot during the Feb. 7 game for the third straight year, showcasing its WeatherTech floor mats and car accessories brand to the more than 110 million-plus viewers expected to watch. It worked wonders for the company the first two times, said WeatherTech CEO David MacNeil. He pointed to a 46% year-over-year increase in visits to WeatherTech.com in 2015 and a 26% increase in phone inquiries over the previous year. Sales grew by a double-digit percentage for the second straight year, he said. That reach "showed us that we're reaching a broad spectrum of consumers and educating them on a better way to care for their vehicles," Mr. MacNeil said. "We're not just advertising to an auto enthusiast audience." The Super Bowl ad buy is the largest single marketing investment this year for WeatherTech, whose revenue last year was more than $500 million, according to Mr. MacNeil. But it's also just one piece of a much larger advertising plan that includes billboards and national TV and radio promotion. The Super Bowl spot represents only 7% of the company's total marketing budget. This year's ad (you can watch it above), created by Schaumburg-Ill.-based Pinnacle Advertising and titled "Resources," expands on the "made in America" mantra the company stressed last year, highlighting its 1,100 employees as its most valuable "natural resource." Crain's Chicago Business, Ad Age's sibling publication, has the complete story.

WeatherTech appeals to patriotism in return to the Super Bowl

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