Instacart Super Bowl Commercial Bets On Advertising’s Toughest Celebrities: Madison Ave. Mascots

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Instacart’s Super Bowl commercial gets by with a little help from some friends.

To make a strong impression during Fox’s Super Bowl LIX broadcast on February 9, executives from the delivery service approached some of America’s largest consumer-goods companies, who are all regular Instacart users for delivering items ranging from deodorant to frozen food. These giants of the grocery aisle, such as Procter & Gamble, General Mills, PepsiCo, Kraft Heinz Co., B&G Foods, and Energizer Holdings, lent their iconic Madison Avenue mascots for Instacart’s commercial, giving it added weight.

Joining us for brief appearances will be characters like Chester Cheetah from Cheetos, PuppyMonkeyBaby from Mountain Dew, the Kool-Aid Man, Old Spice’s “The Man Your Man Could Smell Like”, the Green Giant, the Energizer Bunny, and Mr. Clean, among others. Larry, the Quaker Oats Man, will make a longer appearance in a minute-long “Director’s Cut”.

(Or)

In this 30-second clip, you’ll spot popular mascots such as Chester Cheetah (Cheetos), PuppyMonkeyBaby (Mountain Dew), the Kool-Aid Man, Old Spice’s “The Man Your Man Could Smell Like”, the Green Giant, the Energizer Bunny, and Mr. Clean, with Larry, the Quaker Oats Man, making a longer appearance in a one-minute “Director’s Cut”.

(Or)

For a quick peek, you’ll see well-known mascots like Chester Cheetah (Cheetos), PuppyMonkeyBaby (Mountain Dew), the Kool-Aid Man, Old Spice’s “The Man Your Man Could Smell Like”, the Green Giant, the Energizer Bunny, and Mr. Clean. Larry, the Quaker Oats Man, will appear for a longer duration in a one-minute “Director’s Cut”.

During a recent interview, Instacart’s Chief Marketing Officer, Laura Jones, expressed the hope that it doesn’t come across as a repetitive Super Bowl advertisement.

In adopting such an approach, Instacart probably piled up numerous additional responsibilities onto the development of its Super Bowl projects, a task that is already demanding and stressful due to its high-stakes nature. “I can hardly fathom the work involved or the number of hours,” remarks Tim Calkins, a marketing professor at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management. “Given the multitude of these characters, you have to thoroughly scrutinize all the guidelines for each one.

For quite some time now, companies advertising during the Super Bowl have often recruited well-known personalities like Charlie Sheen, Paris Hilton, and Pete Davidson. However, the Pillsbury Doughboy, featured in an Instacart ad, might be a tougher act to follow due to his unique charm.

Instacart doesn’t get their playful characters for free; they have to pay for each figure’s license, as confirmed by sources in the know. Executives from all the other companies had a hand in shaping the final script. However, even with the financial investment, there are certain expectations that Instacart can’t exceed. These popular mascots come with guidelines on how they can be portrayed or what messages they can convey. Some are only allowed to speak their signature catchphrase and others can’t appear larger than a few inches.

In this version, I’ve tried to maintain the original meaning while making it easier to read and understand for the average reader. The text is still clear and concise, but it uses simpler language and sentence structures.

Furthermore, there are additional concerns. Given the vast number of businesses and items featured, Fox needed to exercise caution when placing the commercial during the broadcast. Advertising on TV still abides by certain rules. Networks typically shouldn’t air two ads from competing companies in the same break. By partnering with Old Spice, Pillsbury, and others, Instacart is displaying a diverse range of products that each have numerous competitors. To accommodate potential last-minute adjustments due to rival product ads, Instacart had to agree that Fox could relocate the commercial within the game if necessary. As Jones puts it, “It was like solving a puzzle.

2025’s grand spectacle could cost advertisers anywhere between $7 million and $8 million for a mere 30-second ad spot. With additional expenses like special effects, digital marketing on social media platforms, and other promotional requirements, the total investment is expected to be at least $10 million for most companies.

High expenses often mean less patience for inaccuracies. However, Jones expressed a preference to steer clear from the conventional approach of hiring a celebrity for a brief appearance. She notes that well-chosen celebrities can effectively draw attention. “Yet,” she adds, “there are also difficulties involved, such as high costs and the potential for the focus shifting towards the celebrity instead of the brand itself.

Companies such as Procter, General Mills, and others are keen on joining Instacart shopping baskets because they desire to be recognized as vital items on a family’s weekly grocery list. Moreover, the prospect of appearing in a Super Bowl advertisement without having to pay for it is quite enticing! According to Jones, these brands considered the benefits they would receive, and some don’t have their own Super Bowl ads or haven’t been on TV for years. It seemed like a fantastic opportunity to increase their market share, hence the appeal.

As a cinema enthusiast, I’ve noticed an intriguing trend among popular characters – they often make surprise appearances in advertisements. For instance, back in 2020, the likes of Mr. Clean, Kool-Aid Man, and even the Oscar Meyer Wienermobile paid their respects at the fictional Super Bowl ad funeral for Mr. Peanut. In a different year, 2003 to be precise, Target ran an innovative commercial that brought together 17 iconic ad characters, from the Gorton Fisherman and Tony the Tiger to the hand character promoting Hamburger Helper. Over time, we’ve seen the Pillsbury Doughboy, or Poppin’ Fresh as he prefers to be called, show up in Sprint ads, while the Maytag Repairman made a brief appearance in a Chevrolet spot, and even the Taco Bell Chihuahua had a guest role in a Geico pitch.

Instacart’s advertisement has the charm of a miniature film. “Release the hounds,” utters Chester Cheetah into a compact gadget at the outset, followed by Heinz dachshunds and the Green Giant frolicking across various landscapes. Mr. Clean is seen sprinting down a street, mimicking Tom Cruise from “Mission: Impossible.” Instacart was encouraged to heed the advice of Isaiah Mustafa, the actor who has embodied the Old Spice character since its inception. They were told by Procter & Gamble executives that the actor on set “might offer suggestions and you should just listen, essentially letting him guide, because we all trust him so much,” says Jones. “He had numerous brilliant ideas, and he did provide feedback, which did lead to some modifications based on his extensive understanding of his character.

Eventually, everyone gathers on the front porch of a house, and eventually, they all become items in two large shopping bags, left for a family.

These brand mascots are playing active roles for Instacart beyond just being featured in advertisements. In the build-up to the Super Bowl, some of them have been seen making deliveries in significant cities such as New Orleans (the host city), Philadelphia, and Kansas City (home cities of the competing NFL teams). Furthermore, several mascots appeared in sponsored content on “Jimmy Kimmel Live” on ABC, joining a party with Guillermo. On Monday, some were spotted on NBC’s “Today” show in their outdoor plaza, while another one was seen on “Jenna & Friends” during a segment discussing snacks for the broadcast.

Whew! Assembling the campaign was no easy feat, I must admit. In fact, one of the CMOs remarked, “I’ve handled many campaigns before, and I can tell you, what you’re planning isn’t an easy endeavor.” Jones agreed, “Indeed, that assessment was spot on.

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2025-02-06 19:19