Showing how to leverage a Super Bowl ad into a bigger experience, website provider Squarespace is looking to the comedy team of Key and Peele to not only create a funny 39-second spot, but to hold court on its website for the whole game.
The teaser for the campaign was released Monday. In it, Keegan-Michael Key andJordan Peele, who shot to fame with their own Comedy Central show, are in character -- with lots of makeup -- as two aspiring amateur sportscasters who want to provide a live blow-by-blow of the Super Bowl. But they discover that they are legally barred from mentioning players names or specific details of the game.
Squarespace has two promos before the game and the ad itself in the first quarter. But the real act takes place starting at 6 p.m. Sunday in conjunction with the big game. There, on a microsite on Squarespace where the two characters, Lee and Morris, "are going to be hanging out for four hours making things up," says Squarespace CEOAnthony Casalena.
The event is aimed at driving home the message that Squarespace is a place where people can create websites that play to their passions, he says. And by having the extended encounter with the characters online, Squarespace should be able to get more bang for millions it will spending on the $4.5 millon that Casalena says the Super Bowl campaign is costing.
It's Squarespace's third year in the Super Bowl. Though it is a lot of money, Casalena says it will be less than 10% of the company's total ad budget for the year.