Tim Tebow’s previous Super Bowl ad appearance, in the 2010 game, came in a serious pro-adoption spot with a pro-life slant. Observers wondered then if his religious stance would sabotage his endorsement potential before his NFL career even began. A subsequent flash-in-the-pan run for the Broncos netted him deals with Jockey and TiVo, but by 2014 the Heisman Trophy winner was NFL contract-less.
Which was great news for T-Mobile and Super Bowl viewers, because this ad via Butler, Shine, Stern & Partners is on message for the product and for Tebow, who gamely makes light of his own situation as he enjoys life sans contracts. The joke might fly over the heads of the millions of non-football fans who regularly tune in for one game a year: the Super Bowl. But football fans deserve a few jokes just for them.
Mobile-phone advertising has been part of the Super Bowl essentially since it became a thing, including AT&T's efforts to explain the concept of life without a cord (see "Belly Buttons" et al. in 2002).
T-Mobile, for its part, was making a big Super Bowl return after sitting out the game since 2008 ("MyFaves"). "No Contract, No Worries," was one of three ads for the brand in Super Bowl XLVIII, to be followed by "Still No Contract" and "Kill Your Contract."
Once back in the game, it kept on coming: T-Mobile ran a pair of ads in 2015 ("One-Upped," "KimsDataStash"), then stood out particularly in 2016 ("Restricted Bling" starring Drake and "Drop the Balls," a salvo against a then-inescapable Verizon campaign using balls to illustrate wireless performance).
Director: Stacy Wall, the former creative director who worked on Wieden & Kennedy ads such as Nike's "Super Bowl Party." Production company: Imperial Woodpecker. Executive producer: Charlie Cocuzza. Producer: Anita Wetterstedt.
Executive creative director: John Butler. Associate creative directors: Mark Krajan, Chris Toffoli. Managing director: Patrick Kiss. Director of broadcast production: Adrienne Cummins. Agency producer: Frank Brooks.
Editorial: Arcade Edit. VFX: Framestore. Sound design: Barking Owl. Music: Beacon Street. Talent negotiation: CAA. Talent: PMK*BNC.
BRAND: T-Mobile
YEAR: 2014
AGENCY: Butler, Shine, Stern & Partners
SUPERBOWL: XLVIII
QUARTER AIRED: Q2
