Jeff Goldblum Returns as Brad Bellflower in Apartments.com's Sci-Fi Super Bowl Ad
Apartments.com returns to the Super Bowl as the universal leader in renting and debuted a never-before-seen 30-second spot, titled 'Extraterrentials.' In the new ad, which premiered during the first quarter of Super Bowl LVII, Jeff Goldblum continues his role as Brad Bellflower, visionary leader of Apartments.com, and defuses a tense standoff with some new arrivals on Earth. The campaign rollout spoofs an upcoming Jeff Goldblum sci-fi blockbuster, featuring a clever media strategy and unique creative from agency of record, RPA.
“Leading up to the Super Bowl, Apartments.com leveraged extraterrestrial buzz in culture to generate intrigue and awareness across media channels by leaning into the possibility of a new Goldblum sci-fi film,” said Fred Saint, president, marketplaces at CoStar Group. “This colossal pregame effort built up to ‘Extraterrentrials,’ which reminded everyone that no matter who you are, where you come from, or how far you’re moving, Apartments.com is the nation's No. 1 apartment listings website to help you find the right place to live.”
The campaign began weeks ahead of Super Bowl LVIII when the first 15-second teaser was introduced via broadcast during the NFL Divisional playoff game between the Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills on Sun., Jan. 21st and later aired during the Grammys on Sun., Feb. 4th. The teaser featured suspenseful snippets of military personnel facing off against something mysterious lurking in the fog and darkness, concluding with Jeff Goldblum stepping into frame and saying, “I may have misread the situation.” The teaser ends with the hashtag #TheyAreHereToStay and 'Coming This February.' The campaign was helmed by acclaimed directing duo Will Speck and Josh Gordon, known for films like 'Blades of Glory,' 'Office Christmas Party,' the recent 'Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile,' and many award-winning commercials.
"We had this great cinematic commercial. So, the goal was to borrow a bit from Jeff Goldblum’s many past iconic roles and create intrigue and speculation about what this upcoming project might be. To treat it as a film release, then pay it off with this irreverent and unexpected Super Bowl spot,” said Perrin Anderson, SVP / creative group director at RPA. “We also knew that, even though the teasers were unbranded, many people would make the Apartments.com connection because we’d built such a strong association through 10 years of Goldblum’s Brad Bellflower character and story.”
Following the first teaser, unmissable unbranded content was seen in out-of-home digital advertising boards disguised as movie posters in Times Square in NYC, the Los Angeles Crypto Arena(viewable while the Grammys took place at the venue), and several other locations throughout Los Angeles leading into the big game. Synchronisation of messaging across channels was vital to ensure this movie misdirect was authentic. Teasers supported with paid media lived on specially created profiles on Facebook, Instagram, Reddit, TikTok, YouTube, and at this website.
To build added suspense, Apartments.com collaborated with six TikTok 'MovieTok' creators, joining forces to play along in the ruse and share posts about the mystery trailer. Influencer posts began in late January and featured: chronicallyscary, mariannenafsu, popculturebrain, raidersofthelostpodcast, themattfriend, and zackyquackytacky.
Further, a Reddit entertainment category takeover contextually targeted where alien and other conspiracy chatter take place.
“The media strategy and investment reflect what a movie marketing plan would entail,” said Abe Diaz, VP / group media director at RPA. “Our key target audience for this campaign skews to younger renters and, knowing they are accustomed to digital and social spaces and have a knack for navigating social media mysteries, we anticipated they would take this and run with it.”
