Aussies behind epic Super Bowl ad

This year’s telecast of the NFL final featured a 30-second ad dubbed “tiny cowboys” that was created by Australians and starred Hollywood actor Maya Rudolph. Sydney brothers John McKelvey and Luke McKelvey – who co-founded American creative agency, Mirimar – were behind The Four Quarter-Sized Cowboys commercial for Swedish brand, Klarna.“The Super Bowl is the biggest stage there is,” the siblings told AdNews. “It’s a big moment for our team and of course there’s an extra push when you know it’s going to be seen by hundreds of millions of people.”

“There’s a lot of eyeballs, competition, expectations, celebrity talent. It’s a big milestone for brands, and we are always excited and motivated to create a real breakthrough moment,” they added.The ad – which screened during the fourth quarter – features four characters all played by Bridesmaids star Rudolph, promoting the global shopping and payment service.“The task was to simply tell people the clear product benefit, on the world’s biggest stage,” the McKelvey brothers told industry publication AdNews.“It’s a single, simple proposition, that can be easily understood. There’s no difficult brain-pretzels to sort out.“So let’s shrink down the beloved Maya Rudolph and have the four quarter-sized cowboys, on their four quarter sized ponies, buy one magnificent pair of boots in four payments.”

The Sydney-raised pair founded Mirimar Creative Group, described as being based in LA and New York, where Luke McKelvey is creative director and John McKelvey is chief creative officer. The NFL championship – aka the Super Bowl – attracts a global TV audience of more than 100 million. A 30-second ad TV spot reportedly costs $US5.6 million ($A7.3 million), making it the most lucrative ad space in media. About 50 commercial air during this year’s broadcast, which featured a halftime show led by Starboy singer The Weeknd.

Though Super Bowl LV had some notable absences due to business sensitivities around the COVID-19 pandemic. “Some long-time advertisers are opting-out of this year’s Super Bowl LV, including veteran players like Coke and Pepsi,” CBS News reported. “Brand experts note that advertisers who will appear in the game may need to walk a fine line with their messaging.” “Going to the Super Bowl means you are speaking to an audience of 100 million or more – you have to make sure you don’t convey an unintended message, that you don’t hit an iceberg along the way,” Northwestern University business professor Derek Rucker told CBS News.“There is some trepidation on the side of advertisers – I think they are right to be cautious.”