• by Todd Wasserman , February 9, 2022

Image above: Comedian Tracy Morgan in one of Rocket Mortgage's 2021 Super Bowl ads.

While there is debate about the wisdom of spending $6.5 million or so on a 30-second ad, Rocket Mortgage CMO Casey Hurbis is a believer in Super Bowl ads.

Last year, USA Today’s Ad Meter rated two Super Bowl ads by Rocket Mortgage as the “best of the best.”

The ads, created by HighDive, Chicago, featured comedian Tracy Morgan stating that “certain is better” than being “pretty sure.”

From an outsider’s standards, Rocket Mortgage’s big bet seems to have had lackluster results. The company’s stock price has declined slightly since then, and Rocket Mortgage hasn’t cracked Interbrands’ Top 100 list of brands.

But Hurbis still says the expenditure is justified. “It's a very large investment for one day,” he said. But it’s no one-shot deal. “While we make a large investment on the one day, we know the spot in the campaign is going to live for months afterwards,” he said. 

Hurbis says he looks at different metrics for justification. “One is Americans’ reactions,” he said, noting Rocket’s standings in the USA Today Ad Meter. “We've been fortunate the last two years— we're number five and number one, number two, last year,” he noted “That’s the first financial brand that's been number one since 1989.”

Rocket Mortgage is expected to run a 60-second ad in the second-quarter of this year’s Super Bowl. A teaser ad features Anna Kendrick talking to a Barbie doll. The brand has run a Super Bowl ad since 2016, featuring the comic team Key and Peele, actor Jason Momoa and actress Lisa Bonet, among others.

Ross Benes, TV/video analyst for eMarketer’s Insider Intelligence, said, "Super Bowl ads are bought by companies with cash to burn. That's why there are numerous crypto Super Bowl ads this year. Brands also buy them for the prestige and to gain press. But on an ROI basis, Super Bowl ads aren't cost-effective. Advertisers could reach more people with less money through most other ad channels."

Hurbris, however, said that Rocket buttresses the Super Bowl spend with consistent ads. “If you're an advertiser, and it's a one and done, it very well may not be an ROI return,” he said. "But it's not just one day … we maintain a level of investment.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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