Sure, the ad was an example of celebrity stuffing, but it was also one where the theme demanded it: a bunch of unknowns named Jones wouldn’t have worked.
According to Jason Schragger, chief creative officer of Saatchi &Saatchi, which created the ad, the goal was to achieve a “symbiosis” between the plot and the stars: “The idea is better with the celebrity—but the celebrity plays within the brand universe,” he said.
In Worthman’s view, Toyota’s 2023 Super Bowl spot—for which he helped to line up the talent—operated along similar lines. Everyone in the ad had a thematically sound reason for being there, she said.
In the minute-long spot, Schitt’s Creek co-creator and star Eugene Levy borrows the keys to a new Nissan Z from Brie Larson (who is Nissan’s brand ambassador.) On the streets of LA, Levy burns past Catherine O’Hara (his Schitt’s Creek costar) and, having been turned into a superhero by the car’s twin-turbocharged V6, he recruits Danai Gurira and Dave Bautista (both superhero film vets) to fight off various and sundry evildoers.
“When you have creative that makes sense with the talent you’re choosing, that’s the bullseye,” Worthman said, but “if you’re loading up celebrities for the sake of celebrity, that’s a gimmick that maybe worked 10 years ago.”
But not today—or not, at any rate, if a gimmick is all that it is. As Merino summed it up: “Unless you have a good idea, a celebrity isn’t going to make a bad idea good.”
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