In what some refer to as the "best Super Bowl LV ad hands down," Tide's commercial focusing on an imprinted hoodie has put the power of fully custom branded merchandise in the spotlight once again.
The story-line behind the 60-second ad involves an all-over-printed sweatshirt where “Seinfeld” star Jason Alexander’s face reacts to the hardships of being worn by a high school boy.
After the ad debuted on the internet in the days leading up to the Super Bowl, fans started wondering if a physical printed version of the Jason Alexander hoodie was available for purchase. Originally it seemed as though Tide was willing to forfeit the fun and potential revenue from printing and selling Jason Alexander hoodies to the masses.
Turns out, the internet mob had its way. Instead of the company lining its own pockets, Tide followed its moral compass and produced a limited quantity of the Jason Alexander hoodie to be given away. In return for donations made on charityhoodie.tide.com before midnight on February 10, 2021, Tide will send you a Jason Alexander hoodie. Contributions to be split between Feeding America® and Matthew 25 Ministries.
There are lessons to be learned from the advertising firm responsible for this commercial. Why a hoodie? Why a hoodie with this character, of all people? Daniel Lobatón, chief creative officer of Saatchi & Saatchi NY provides some context as to why this commercial spoke to so many millennials and Gen Zs.
“We did some research on hoodies with celebrity faces on them. Turns out, there’s a weird combination of what makes these great. Ironic and iconic nostalgia is something we threw around in the creative department. Jason brings everything we were looking for in this story. He was so specific with his acting, giving us a range of emotions—for a hoodie.”
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