• by Sarah Mahoney , 4 hours ago

Bosch, the German manufacturing company, is back in the Super Bowl this year with a spot starring celebrity chef Guy Fieri. And CMO Boris Dolkhani says that based on the boost it gained last year, the brand is looking for even more ways to jump into advertising’s biggest arena in the U.S.

For Dolkhani, the Super Bowl’s value isn’t just reach — it’s cultural permission. “This is the one moment where advertising itself becomes part of the national conversation,” he tells Marketing Daily. “If you want to be part of American culture, you have to show up where people are actually talking about ads.” 

This year, Bosch’s ad focuses on noted foodie and restaurateur Guy Fieri, who gets rid of his signature spiked hairstyle and goatee so he can be “Just a Guy.” Once he starts using Bosch products -- both its appliances and power tools -- he transforms back into the icon cooking fans know and love. Even Fieri’s dog has a line.

It works, Dolkhani says, because Fieri is a real-life fan of both appliances and tools, the dual audiences it is chasing with this pricey media buy. “That authenticity matters,” he says. “He isn’t acting. He already uses the products.”

And it is a little easier to follow than the split-talent strategy the company used in its Super Bowl debut last year, starring Antonio Banderas and Randy “Macho Man” Savage to speak to two distinct audiences, an approach Dolkhani says consumers found a little confusing.

The latest ad, from Droga5, is part of the company’s ongoing “The More You Bosch, The More You Feel Like A Bosch” platform. And it’s dropping today because the company learned that earned media is essential to Super Bowl success, and the brand’s No. 1 priority. It’s expected to run in the second quarter. Several weeks after the game, the company will measure unaided brand awareness, “and we expect to have significantly moved that needle,” Dolkhani says.

While he declined to share figures, Dolkhani says last year’s results exceeded “anything I’ve ever seen in my career.” And he expects this year’s campaign to roughly double that impact. Even ahead of the full ad release, early signals are already showing up in the trade channel, he says, with wholesalers requesting in-store materials and expanding orders after seeing the initial creative.

He concedes that in such a high-pressure moment, ads require a little luck in order to break through. “Anything can happen,” he says, citing a splashy effort in Europe that was completely eclipsed by the death of Queen Elizabeth II.

Bosch is pairing its cultural moment with retail follow-through, including a year-long collaboration with Lowe’s, featuring in-store activations, online promotions and exclusive products tied to the campaign. Bosch Power Tools will also participate in Lowe’s Super Bowl Experience efforts.