How This Year's Skechers And Suzuki Super Bowl Ads Were Created

Skechers USA and American Suzuki are two marketers advertising in this year’s Super Bowl, and the advertising talent behind the ads for both is Ron Siltanen, chairman and chief creative officer of Siltanen & Partners. A veteran creative, he has created and worked on some of the most iconic commercials over the past 15 years, including Apple’s 1997 “Think Different” campaign and Nissan’s “Pigeons” 1997 Super Bowl spot.

The starting point for Siltanen and his team was figuring out what might best grab attention in an event where consumers expect to be entertained, but in which the ads “still have to be on point to either enhance or change perceptions about a brand,” said Siltanen. “To me, the best spots are ones that tell a story, and the product is a central part of the story rather than just tacked on to the end.”

Siltanen said he begins the development process by looking to what had been successful in past games; recognizing that animal ads consistently rank highest in Super Bowls, Siltanen said, dogs appear in both Skechers’ and Suzuki’s ads this year.

Skechers CMO Leonard Armato gave Siltanen & Partners clear directives: He said the spot had to showcase the new GO Run shoe and its cool technology as the brand builds a bridge from its lifestyle roots to performance.

“We also wanted to show the spirit of the brand, the spirit of the underdog,” he said. Lastly, the ad needed to include Mark Cuban, owner of the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks, because Skechers already inked a deal with him.