It’s safe to say that 84 Lumber’s first time in the Super Bowl definitely made more than an impression. The ad was initially rejected for being too political because it featured a giant wall, similar to “border wall” President Donald Trump has been pushing for.
The company edited the ad to end at the key point with a message directing viewers to their website to see the ending. The result of this was successful as the website crashed right after their ad aired.
So why did they choose to make to work on this ad?
“America is the land of opportunity and 84 Lumber is a company of opportunity,” Amy Smiley, Director of Marketing for 84 Lumber told DIVERGE. “ We’re a 60 year-old, family-owned American company that has jobs – good paying jobs that become careers – with training and opportunities for advancement.”
The building materials supplier, 84 Lumber is using this 90-second spot to launching a yearlong national recruiting campaign, which according to them presents a great challenge currently.
“We’re hiring so if you think you’re 84 Lumber material, we want to hear from you,” she added. “We’re always looking for people who are ready to roll up their sleeves and work hard, no matter who they are.”
Brunner, the company’s agency partner is handling creative, public relations, digital, social media, and media buying. Award-winning director Cole Webley directed the 90-second spot, which aired just before halftime.
The advertisement shows a Mexican woman and her daughter waking up early to get ready for a long trip. They pack for the journey, which includes traveling by truck, train and foot along with other travelers. The Super Bowl ad concludes there with a message directing viewers to the website.
On the site, the ad shows the mother and daughter when they reach the end of their journey. They are heartbroken to see a wall between the borders, separating them from their loved ones. But when the little girl pieces an American flag together, the doorway, which was built by workers is opened and an onscreen message states “The will to succeed will always be welcome here.”
Diversity and authenticity were both priorities while filming the ad.
“When shooting a spot like this, it’s critical that the production is not only top quality, it’s authentic too,” Rob Schapiro, Chief Creative Officer for Brunner, told DIVERGE. “That’s why we shot the entire film in Mexico and 95% of our cast and crew was local.”
“Our industry is going through a period of extreme disruption,” added Maggie Hardy Magerko, 84 Lumber owner and president, in a statement. “And I’ve always preferred to be the one doing the disrupting, rather than the one being disrupted. But to do that, we need to hire and train people differently. We don’t need more people interested in doing the same thing that’s always been done. We need more people interested in creating their own path for themselves and for 84 Lumber.”
The campaign is targeting males’ ages 20 to 29 that want to “take control of their careers and embody the entrepreneurial spirit that runs rampant at 84 Lumber.”
Although, there was negative feedback, which the company expected, mostly the company is very happy with the reaction sofar.
“We have been pleasantly surprised at the number of people who didn’t know about the 84 Lumber brand name standing up to celebrate our message of opportunity for all,” Smiley stated.
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