Tubi’s Prank Ad Steals the Show: Super Bowl’s Most Viral Moment?
3 min read
Twitter buzz erupted with Tubi halftime debut during Super Bowl halftime, but the ad-supported streaming service didn’t stop there. Tubi aired a 15-second teaser during the fourth quarter that built on its first spot, “Rabbit Hole.” The company went in a completely different direction with its second surprise 15-second promo. As with Tubi’s other two Super Bowl 57 appearances, the promo was done in partnership with agency Mischief. In the fourth quarter of the game, a new spot called “Interface Interruption” aired. The 60-second creative that aired during halftime was followed shortly thereafter by a 15-second promo, Gardener.
#SuperBowl commercial of the year goes to @Tubi pic.twitter.com/4L6cfh8Zot
— Al Scott (@AlScott1998) February 13, 2023
Greg Hahn, co-founder and CCO of Mischief, told Adweek it’s something that’ll make you think someone in the room switched your channel to Tubi. You are seeing what you think is broadcast, he said, noting that the creative was only approved at the last minute. Using two Fox Sports broadcasters, Kevin Burkhardt and Greg Olsen, the company demonstrated a Tubi interface that came up when customers pressed the menu button on their TVs — causing viewers to scramble for their remote controls. At this moment, we can’t afford to be forgotten, said Tubi CMO Nicole Parlapiano. It’s time to come out now. There are three things I want to achieve: shock, surprise, and attention.
Tubi after trolling everyone during the superbowl only to go viral and get more subscribers and become more popular than Netflix pic.twitter.com/yf3usQioMk
— Nuevo aka the Nuecents (@Nuecents37) February 13, 2023
With A Prank Ad, Tubi Wins The Most Viral Super Bowl Moment
When Tubi’s 2023 Super Bowl ad aired on Sunday, everyone was wondering where their TV remotes were. With Fox Sports announcers, Kevin Burkhardt and Greg Olsen, the Super Bowl LVII broadcast returned from a commercial break in the 15-second spot. The screen suddenly became occupied by someone scrolling over to the Tubi TV app and browsing the streaming service’s library. The streaming service wrote on YouTube that you didn’t sit on the remote in the video’s caption. The audience was fooled into thinking otherwise on Super Bowl Sunday. In addition to social media buzz, the commercial, called Interface Interruption, also garnered some attention. Tubi definitely got some people screaming at people on the couch, according to one tweet.
One person wrote, I thought I sat on the remote while watching the Tubi commercial. According to Greg Hahn, the co-founder and CCO of Mischief, who produced the ad in partnership with Tubi, “Nicole and the Tubi team presented us with a unique brief: reveal Tubi to the world, personality-first. This is not a title-first approach. Throughout these spots, we have created a quirky, playful, and a bit unexpected personality. As the troublemaker of streaming, Tubi is poised to make waves. At State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, the Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Philadelphia Eagles 38-35 in Super Bowl LVII.
