Marmot is making its debut as an advertiser in what is often considered the biggest night for television advertising; Super Bowl Sunday. Joining heavy hitters such as Pepsico and Anheuser-Busch, along with the annual crop of newbies attempting to make a capture attention during advertising’s highest-profile and priciest night, Marmot’s namesake animal will serve as spokesrodent for its inaugural Super Bowl spot.
“The marmot is a perfect guide to the outdoors because it loves the outside, it’s cute and cuddly, and through that we can have a lot of very humorous, playful and engaging creative,” said Mark Martin, president of Marmot.
It certainly is something of a gamble for the outdoor brand. Advertisers are shelling out as much as $5 million for a 30-second spot on the Feb. 7 CBS broadcast, when the Carolina Panthers will take on the Denver Broncos. Marmot spent about $4.5 million in the entire year of 2014 across media such as TV and magazines, according to ad tracker Kantar Media. Though a relatively small brand, Marmot is owned by consumer product giant Jarden Corp., which recently announced a merger with Newell Rubbermaid Inc.
Marmot’s Super Bowl spot has been a year in the making, but Martin said Marmot’s revamped ad strategy began a few years ago with a focus on outdoorsy networks like the Discovery Channel. The company has since advertised on ESPN, and late last year sponsored a college football bowl game, the Boca Raton Bowl.
In the run-up to the Super Bowl, Marmot will release short teasers of the spot online, and spend on digital ads like homepage takeovers of CBSSports.com. A 60-second extended version of the Super Bowl ad will post online after the 30-second spot airs during the game. Martin said the company plans to run the initial campaign for a few months after the Super Bowl, with further advertising in retail stores. The marmot will now be featured in its advertising for years, he said.
