SunTrust Buys First Super Bowl TV Spot

Making a big leap from buying local and regional TV, SunTrust Banks will buy its first national TV Super Bowl commercial, which will air next month.

SunTrust -- the Atlanta-based bank with mostly Southeast retail banking locations -- says the Super Bowl media buy is warranted, noting its expanded national physical presence ins financial businesses, including capital market services, mortgage banking and asset management. 

The company now has major wholesale business offices in San Francisco, New York, Chicago, Dallas and Houston. “Now that we have a stronger national footprint, that definitely weigh into [the decision],” Susan Somersille Johnson, chief marketing officer of SunTrust, tells Media Daily News.

The Super Bowl commercial, created by New York-based StrawberryFrog, focuses on financial stress and how to alleviate it. SunTrust says currently nearly 75% of Americans are experiencing financial stress.

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Johnson: “It’s different than anything we have done before. It’s not business as usual. It’s not a product ad. It’s not a traditional brand ad. It’s to raise awareness about an issue and inspire people to take a step toward financial confidence.”

SunTrust’s 30-second Super Bowl commercial will air at the two-minute warning of the fourth quarter of the game -- the last spot in a commercial pod before the telecast returns to football action.

Media executives say CBS, which will air the game on February 7, is getting a record price for a 30-second TV commercial: $5 million.

6 comments about "SunTrust Buys First Super Bowl TV Spot".
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  1. Ed Papazian from Media Dynamics Inc, January 6, 2016 at 10:09 a.m.

    Breaking news: Ed Papazian is thinking about buying his first Super Bowl ad to promote his new book---"TV Now and Then"-----but he's not paying the "going rate", which is almost always less than what is reported. But first Ed's got to find a creative agency that will do the book justice via a really clever TV commercial. Anyone interested?

  2. Jonathan Hutter from Northern Light Health, January 6, 2016 at 4:52 p.m.

    You don't need a creative agency, crowdsource the damn thing! BTW I know the guy who submitted that NFL contest-winning ad back in...2007. ("You know a guy."  Name that movie.)

  3. Doug Garnett from Protonik, LLC, January 6, 2016 at 6 p.m.

    But wait, can't you just live tweet a combination book group/Super Bowl party as they discuss your book during the game but stop to watch TV to critique the commercials. It'll be great engagement based relevance seeking with real time consumers. (Or it could be a complete bust...)

  4. Nicholas Schiavone from Nicholas P. Schiavone, LLC replied, January 6, 2016 at 9:49 p.m.

    Dear Ed,
    Forget all the media and digital nonsense and scamming people are pitching.
    I just successfully launched a Gourmet Shop
    based on reputation, performance and coattail effects through sophisticated WOM.
    I'd be pleased to help you.
    Let's put your core message in the right place at the right time.
    And let's not wait for the Super Bowl.  
    Here's the Stage One Pitch: To understand the SuperBowl 50,
    first you need to understand: "TV Now and Then"
    Let's get some artwork and do "TV Without TV."
    Peace,
    Nick


  5. Nicholas Schiavone from Nicholas P. Schiavone, LLC replied, January 7, 2016 at 5:47 p.m.

    Forget the crowdsource.  Really?  It will just become more of the same.
    All out of the box and beyond the crowd.  If the they knew what Ed knew 
    they would not be in the crowd.  They'd be in the action.

  6. Nicholas Schiavone from Nicholas P. Schiavone, LLC replied, January 7, 2016 at 5:47 p.m.

    Most creative idea to date!

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