Intuit in 2016 revived its "Small Business Big Game" contest offering ad time in the Super Bowl to a small business chosen through a combination of Intuit decisionmaking and online voting.

Death Wish Coffee Co. in Round Lake N.Y. won, topping fellow finalists San Francisco shorts marketer Chubbies Shorts and a five-and-dime store in East Aurora, N.Y., called Vidler's 5 & 10. 

In the 30-second commercial that results, created by Intuit's agency RPA, Death Wish pictures a ship full of fatalistic Vikings on a stormy sea, meant to show the power of its brew (and bring home the brand name).

The spot entailed building a 40-foot Viking ship, assembling a massive mechanical gimble and deploying high-powered water canons and hurricane-strength fans on a cast of 25 in authentic costumes. Watch Ad Age's original behind-the-scenes video from the shoot, "Anatomy of an Ad: A Super Bowl Death Wish."

Intuit first ran the "Small Business Big Game" contest for the 2014 Super Bowl, awarding 30 seconds of costly air time to the girls' toy company GoldiBlox ("Come on Bring the Toyz"). 

BRAND: Intuit - Death Wish Coffee

YEAR: 2016

AGENCY: RPA

SUPERBOWL: 50

QUARTER AIRED: Q3