When it comes to creating a Super Bowl ad, it’s easy to throw out the generalized “Go Big or Go Home” analogy. It’s a big stage—arguably the biggest—and the amount of eyes locked onto the commercials has oftentimes been the top story from Super Bowl Sunday. (See: 2019). So, understandably, when creating a campaign, the idea of going big makes sense.
But when you’re Rocket Mortgage, the largest mortgage lender in America, and you get Jason Momoa, one of the largest actors (literally and in Hollywood star power) to be in your spot for this Sunday’s game…well, that provides an interesting update to the terminology.
The Detroit-based lending company is back in the Super Bowl ad lineup this year with a spot that ties into a new campaign called “Get Comfortable.” The concept, as Quicken Loans CMO Casey Hurbis explained to USA Today’s Ad Meter, is simple: “We want people to be as comfortable financing a home as they are living in it.”
How they accomplished creating the delivery of that message for the massive audience on Sunday is an interesting tale. It began over this past summer. The team started looking at different ideas, beginning the creative process, and one particular concept quickly rose to the top. And with that winning concept, there was one person who came to mind.
“It was with Jason!” Hurbis enthusiastically recalled, an exclamatory prompt associated with a no-brainer.
The exciting part of that revelation, however, was the feeling was mutual. Never one to shy away from the creative process, the feedback from the Hollywood star wasn’t just a yes, followed by a signature on the dotted line. Instead, the overall excitement for the campaign grew into a partnership. “He was part of the creative development with us,” Hurbis explained.
Understanding how the process goes for creating these commercials is never an exact science, but it doesn’t hurt to have someone experienced like Casey Hurbis. He’s been part of five Super Bowl campaigns, including Rocket Mortgage’s 2018 ad with Keegan Michael Key (that finished 11th in the Ad Meter Rankings that year). He took that propitious momentum and allowed it to flow into the “next” creative step for the company, and by December, production was set to shoot the 2020 Super Bowl commercial—which would be a first for the talented actor.
But would it be?
The answer to that is not as simple. Casey, who still holds true to “old school thought” as he puts it , doesn’t like to release the full spot until the night of the game. But within the tight timeframe of production and the small window to tell the story in the actual ad, came extra footage that might have never seen the light of day, cutting-room material. And in a social media-driven world that seemed like an opportunity—and it wasn’t missed.
Momoa liked the daily cuts so much, he deiced to start sending out funny tidbits on his social media. The engagement from his 14.6 million followers has grown mightily, well into the 10,000s. As Hurbis noted, “It showed just how great it’s been, this whole concept of ‘getting comfortable at home’—it’s a really fun and engaging way to show how Jason can be, away from the camera and expectations when he’s at home.”
And Jason Momoa, if the several teasers released by Rocket Mortgage are any small indication, is certainly fun at home.
“It was a hard sprint at the end,” admitted Hurbis. “But having the power of Jason and (Quicken Loan’s) brands together, just knowing the high level of content we did, we knew that having him doing his first commercial ever, we’d be able to build a lot of momentum around that. And we’re excited to bring not only the spot in the Super Bowl, but the campaign to life.”
Again, that feeling is mutual, as Jason Momoa added: “People are going to be blown away by the Super Bowl commercial. The creative was awesome, and we all worked together to make it hysterical. I got to poke fun at myself a bit, as did my wife, and we had a blast. The spot made us laugh, and it’s going to make America laugh too. I can’t wait to hear what everyone thinks.”
So, in this case, it’s Go Big and Go home.