Silent Super Bowl Ad Gets People Talking
WASHINGTON — Sometimes the Super Bowl and the ads are all about noise. But one humorous Pepsi ad will be silent.
Video: Watch Pepsi Ad
The 60-second spot is in American Sign Language with captions. The actors are really Pepsi employees who are deaf or hard-of-hearing and who are members of EnAble, an employee network whose mission is to promote a more inclusive environment for people with disabilities.
It shows a couple of guys in a car driving down a residential street in the evening looking for their friend’s house. Both of them forgot to bring the address. So they think up a quick and funny way to narrow down which house does “not” belong to their friend, who’s also deaf.
The ad is called “Bob’s House” and is expected to run in the pre-show before the game begins.
The ad is gaining support from the deaf community.
“I applaud Pepsi for its inclusive approach and addressing deaf issues in such a creative way,” said Robert Davila, the president of Gallaudet University, a school for the deaf and hard of hearing.
“This humorous ad can help raise awareness about the deaf community and break down stereotypes by promoting positive imagery to millions of TV viewers around the globe,” Davila said. “It can also make clear we know how to tell a good joke!”
Ads Get Pricey
Placing those Super Bowl commercials is costing companies looking to reach the game’s massive TV audience a record amount of money.
This year’s price tag for a 30-second spot that advertisers hope dazzle viewers is the most expensive ever.
A 30-second commercial is expected to cost $2.7 million, up from $2.6 million last year. By comparison, a 30-second commercial for the first Super Bowl in 1967 cost on $42,000.
The New England Patriots play the New York Giants on Feb. 3 in Arizona.