For this Super Bowl XXXIII American Express ad, Ogilvy & Mather again enlisted Jerry Seinfeld -- whose "Seinfeld" had just wrapped up nine seasons on NBC the previous May and who starred in a 1998 big-game spot co-starring Superman -- to show how widely the green card is accepted.
Jerry goes on an epic road-trip ("Driving cross-country by myself!"), charging essential supplies like coffee and donuts along the way. He even takes a selfie at Mount Rushmore -- with a disposable film camera charged to his Amex. The tagline: "Even on the road, you can do more with the American Express card."
The commercial followed Seinfeld's 1998 Super Bowl spot for AmEx, also by Ogilvy & Mather, costarring a certain hero of Jerry's ("Seinfeld and Superman") and the brand's 1990 big-game outing with Ogilvy & Mather, "The Race," featuring another big celebrity. American Express would bow out of the Super Bowl after this spot, however, more often buying time around the game in later years, such as the 2014 postgame play “Intelligent Security.”
Director: Rob Pritts, who would go on to direct work for brands including Altoids, Sealy and NetZero.
BRAND: American Express
YEAR: 1999
AGENCY: Ogilvy & Mather
SUPERBOWL: XXXIII
QUARTER AIRED: Q3