Named “One of the Best Super Bowl Car Commercials of All Time”
Role: Concept, Creative Director, Copywriter
Agency: Commonwealth McCann
Awards:
(2) Cannes Lions Shortlists (Media + Auto)
One Show Shortlist (Broadcast)
Gold Internationalist Award (Innovation in Media)
(2) Festival of Media Global Shortlists (Best Entertainment Platform + Creative Use of Media)
Creativity Ad of the Day (Editor’s Pick)
How do you promote the first truck that streams video during the Super Bowl? You make 100 million viewers think their cable is going out right before kickoff.
Team: Joe Gielniak (CD/AD) • Mike Mojica (Editor)
Blackout Case Study
Then, you grab major headlines for trolling the Bowl (without technically buying an ad).
Chevy just Trolled the Country with its Genius Super Bowl Ad –Mashable
Chevy's Super Bowl Ad Is A Lesson In Masterclass Trolling –Huffington Post
Everyone's Freaking Out About Chevy's Super Bowl Fake-Out –Buzzfeed
That Chevy Super Bowl Commercial Freaked Everyone Out –Sports Illustrated
Twitter Reacts to That Chevy Ad That Nearly Gave You a Heart Attack –People
How Chevrolet Freaked Out Super Bowl Viewers Without Buying an Ad During the Game –Variety
And, you land on “best of” lists (and shiny trophies).
Super Bowl Advertising Champions –AdAge
Best Super Bowl Car Commercials of All Time –CNET
Best Ads of 2015 –Wall Street Journal
10 Best Ads of 2015 –Business Insider
10 Most Creative, Inventive Commercials of 2015 –Mashable
The Year's Most Memorable Marketing Moments – Automotive News
Blackout wasn't just an ad. It was a carefully orchestrated stunt that relied on timing, trickery and surprise. Media widely reported that Chevy wasn't running a spot – so viewers were totally caught off guard. The media placement, right before the coin toss, amplified the gasps.
Seconds after airing, Twitter ran amok with reactions from viewers, media, celebs and brands like Comcast and Bud Light. Within 24 hours, the spot earned 116 million social impressions, over 2 million YouTube views, and a 1,178% increase in traffic to the Chevy Colorado web page with 71,000 research and shopping actions.
It wasn't easy to pull off a stunt like this, especially with a modest production budget of $25K and pushback from NBC. Against all odds, we refused to quit. We created 130 versions of the commercial before the network finally agreed to air it – with just hours to spare before the Big Game.
For an in-depth look behind the scenes, check out Automotive News' recap, "How Chevy Pulled off Super Bowl Blackout" and Variety's article, "How Chevrolet Freaked Out Super Bowl Viewers Without Buying an Ad During the Game."
