Squarespace 2017 Super Bowl commercial features John Malkovich wanting to own John Malkovich
For those of you who enjoy your Super Bowl commercials when they are a little bit more of the meta persuasion, there’s probably a good bit to like with what Squarespace chose to do with their ad dollars this year, and with movie star John Malkovich to go along with it. It only makes some sense that a guy known for a movie called “Being John Malkovich” would want to own JohnMalkovich.com, and as a result of that, he wants to go through the trouble of buying the domain.
Unfortunately, as he soon realizes this process is a little more cumbersome than he first thought it would be, and that is the basis for the remainder of the ad.
What worked – First of all, getting John Malkovich on board was a great start, since otherwise, there was no way to do this and have it work. The bleeping is funny, as is presenting the actor as this old curmudgeon who doesn’t know how to do anything. That plays well into the company’s hand of presenting this as a solution for even people who aren’t all that familiar with tech. That’s what they are going for, and that is probably what they are going to do their best to emphasize here.
Also, it’s pretty great that JohnMalkovich.com actually works. Smart branding.
What didn’t – Maybe you can argue that this ad doesn’t do a great job explaining everything that Squarespace does when it comes to helping you build a website, but clearly the goal here was just to get people clicking over and seeing what they have to offer. From that vantage point, the show succeeded.
Overall – This was a pretty funny, fairly effective ad. It was nice to see Malkovich take part in the Super Bowl, and the spot gets the point across. It’s not a game-changer or one that had us rolling around with laughter, but we’re okay with that so long as it at least is entertaining. Grade: B.
What did you think of the ad? Share now in the comments, and head over here to get some other commercials from the big game! (Photo: Squarepsace.)
