DraftKings returned to the Super Bowl with a 30-second ad fronted by SNL’s Colin Jost and Michael Che, airing in the first quarter of the New England Patriots-Seattle Seahawks matchup last night.
Created by the sportsbook’s in-house team and produced with Smuggler, the ad claims to be filmed “live” from Santa Clara and promotes the platform’s real, live betting capabilities. But mismatched voices and off-sync dialogue tip viewers off that something’s amiss. The gag fully collapses when a janitor stumbles in on Jost and Che crammed into a tiny green-screen setup in a utility closet.
The appearance marks the brand’s return to the Big Game after two years on the sidelines.
Adland creatives largely liked the SNL duo’s pairing, but thought that the campaign fell flat.
Craig Elimeliah, chief creative officer, Code & Theory
“Jost and Che work really well because the bit is actually theirs. The ‘Is it live?’ gag is a natural extension of Weekend Update. I thought it was the best sports betting ad of the night, but the category ceiling is kind of low. Jost and Che definitely elevated the formula a bit.
[But] when you have 10 SNL cast members show up across seven ads in the same game, it feels like the talent stops being differentiating for the brands. Convenience is the enemy of memorability.”
Al Merry, chief creative officer and founder, Flower Shop
“Che and Jost are as likable as ever, but the dubbed voice-over feels confusing. I can’t help thinking Lorne Michaels would’ve asked for a rewrite.”
Eric Kallman, founder and chief creative officer, Erich & Kallman
“The ad felt about as tired as SNL does these days. Similar jokes have been done before and the ending wasn’t much of an ending. It communicated clearly, but when you’re paying that kind of money for airtime and talent, it’s a shame they couldn’t have come up with a more original idea or, more importantly, a better one.”
João Viégas, Creative Director, Gut NY
“This was a fun one. It was a good use of celebrities that paid off the concept. Comedians doing comedy. Unserious but effective.”
Watch DraftKing’s Super Bowl 60 Ad, “DraftKings Live-ish Super Bowl LX,” below.
