They also reconsidered the train’s backstory and superpowers. It no longer had to be hot for the train to show up, but it could still go basically anywhere. However, instead of pretending that a train blasting through the country at 900 mph wouldn’t have an impact on the people and places it passed, the Droga5 team became “a bit more self aware” and had it blow snow, freeze water, lay down tracks and occasionally cause some structural damage.
In perhaps the most important continuation of the old ads, however, the train had to be a welcome intruder, make people feel better and, at the very least, leave them a little something for their trouble.
“Even the old ads, which are a little outdated now, there was a charm to them—there was an optimism [and] a heart,” Weir said. “Even though [the train is] causing a little more destruction now, it’s a force for good, and if those people are insured, they’ll be fine.”
People all over the world
For a party-crashing, terrain-altering party train to be considered a hero, it needs a hero’s quest. It needs Forrest Gump’s run or Frodo’s Lord of the Rings trip across Middle Earth. It needs to meet disparate people in the places they call home and leave the situation a bit better than it was when the train arrived.
Droga5 made sure the train touched far-flung portions of the map and came in contact with people who could spread the word. Wilson signed a multiyear deal with Coors Light in January that includes both her first Super Bowl ad appearance and sponsorship of her tour later this year. LL Cool J, meanwhile, picks up where Ice-T left off by providing the ad’s punctuation mark.
With MolsonCoors making up for lost time at the Big Game and Coors Light posting volume growth in the U.S. for every reported quarter of 2023, the company needs everyone to be as on board with its Super Bowl push as its Chill Train’s conductor.
“When he came to set, he embodied the role like no one else,” Colliton said. “He walked onto set, blasted ‘Love Train’ from his own jam box—dressed as a conductor—and he’s like, ‘Let’s do this thing.’”
For the latest Super Bowl 58 advertising news—who’s in, who’s out, teasers, full ads and more—check out Adweek’s Super Bowl 2024 Ad Tracker and the rest of our stories here. And join us on the evening of Feb. 11 for the best in-game coverage of the commercials.
