Alabama wins the Super Bowl: Birmingham agency has an ad on the big stage
An image of Dale Earnhardt Sr. from BIG Communications' 30-second Super Bowl ad for the Daytona 500, which embodies a strong sense of history and tradition as well as speed and excitement. (BIG Communications)
Less than 1% of ad agencies in the U.S. will ever have a spot on advertising’s most coveted stage. So for anyone who creates ads for a living, it is most certainly a bucket list item.
This year’s Super Bowl TV spots are running $5.6 million for a 30-second spot, with about 60 spots slated to run during the game. And the brands that are advertising will once again range from insurance and automotive to beer and peanuts – delivering a range of styles from emotional and heartfelt to funny and unexpected. But each spot, no matter the style, has a similar goal in mind: to gain the attention and persuade the thinking of the more than 100 million people on hand for the largest viewing audience assembled each year.
In 2020, Birmingham’s BIG Communications will not simply be armchair quarterbacking from the sidelines; we have the honor and privilege of being part of the game. Our work will be right there alongside the best of the best — the most highly produced, rigorously tested and meticulously crafted advertising in the world.
Our brief 30 seconds won’t open with a man stranded on a deserted island or feature talking babies. It’s not intended to revolutionize the computer industry, drive consumers to their nearest convenience store or introduce some new cultural catch phrase. Our mission is to promote an event.
We want to remind people that on Feb. 16 on FOX, the Daytona 500 provides the opportunity to be a part of 62 years of American automotive history. In this year’s Super Bowl, when everyone is battling it out to be the funniest or the most outrageous spot that dominates water-cooler discussions on Monday, our job is simple: remind people that “The Great American Race” is right around the corner. And if we’re lucky, maybe even inspire someone new to check out what all the excitement is about.
The best advertising doesn’t always call for the craziest, the funniest or the most outlandish idea. Sometimes the job calls for a more heartfelt, direct, authentic connection that doesn’t get lost in the moment, but just keeps it simple.
So this year, we will be right there with you — learning from and dissecting every spot this Sunday while voicing our opinions about the ones we love and the ones we loathe. But we’ll have a soft spot for one particular spot running this year — not only because we created it (and we could not be prouder of our amazing team), but because of what this spot represents.
It is proof to our industry that you can build an incredible agency outside of a top 10 or even top 40 DMA. It is proof that Birmingham, Alabama, is a truly magical place filled with incredibly talented people. And it is proof that if you are good enough and you work hard enough, you can always get in the game.
This story originally appeared on BIG Communications’ website.
