FanDuel Intros John Cena as Gronk's Big Game Nemesis
Which brand will take home the 2024 Super Clio for the best Super Bowl commercial? We'll find out on Feb. 12.
When Rob Gronkowski bursts through a wall like the Kool-Aid Guy, you know he means business.
Soon, we're treated to a stare-down between the former NFL tight end and wrestling icon/action star John Cena.
Well, "treated" may be a bit much. Still, the :50 below, FanDuel's latest film hyping its Super Bowl campaign developed with Wieden+Kennedy, slakes our thirst for campy marketing goodness.
CENA: You're gonna miss.
GRONK: No, John. I'm gonna make.
Them thar's fightin' words!
They're referring, of course, to Gronkowski's upcoming 25-yard field goal attempt on Super Sunday, Feb. 11.
In 2023, for FanDuel's first such hype-fest, he botched it. This year, well, it's a whole new ad campaign.
Folks can place a free make or miss pick to win a share of $10 million in FanDuel bonus wagers.
"Gronk was an incredible trooper on set and volunteered to bust through the wall himself, even though we offered up the option of his stunt double," W+K New York ACD Macie Soler-Sala tells Muse. "He nailed it on the first take. This moment was a great metaphor for how awesome he was on set. He threw himself, literally—into any ask, any line and any scenario we threw at him."
"Doing the same Super Bowl idea again is crazy," she says. "But we're going to do it anyway, because there’s no way Gronk is going to let his last moment on a field be a losing one."
As for Cena, "he fully leaned into his 'villain origin story. He had a great sense of humor about it, and gave us a ton of lines, many improvised, and really embraced it all from start to finish," Soler-Sala says.
Looks for more loopy ads to drop in the run-up to Super Bowl LVIII as FanDuel looks to lengthen the buzz funnel and create a media "event" rather than just placing a commercial in the game. (The brand succeeded marvelously in 2023, even though Rob's kick went off course.)
This year's try will take place during the pre-game show, with an outcome-specific spot airing around halftime.
