Snickers to Air First Live Super Bowl Ad

Candy-maker Mars Inc. will shoot and air a commercial in real-time for its Snicker brand during the Super Bowl, in an effort to stand out from the pack. The spot will feature actor Adam Driver and have a western theme.

Marketers normally have their Super Bowl ads ready well in advance. This year, candy-maker Mars Inc. will be producing its spot during the actual game.

The company will be airing the first live Super Bowl commercial to hawk its Snickers candy bar brand. Some 150 ad executives from Mars, the ad agency BBDO and production company O Positive, will shoot the 30-second, western-themed spot in real time during a break in the action between the New England Patriots and Atlanta Falcons.

The ad will star actor Adam Driver, who is best known for playing the Star Wars villain Kylo Ren and for a role on HBO’s “Girls.”

Advertisers are looking for ways to reinvent traditional TV commercials in an era when streaming services are training people to think that content can come ad-free. A live ad is a way for a marketer to draw more attention and capitalize on the general excitement, from TV to Facebook, in anything that happens in real time.

“People aren’t forced to watch commercials anymore. They can easily tune them out,” said Peter Kain, executive creative director at BBDO New York, “We need to do something that makes people want to watch and talk about the ads.”

Read More at the Wall Street Journal