While the Broncos and Seahawks battle it out Sunday at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, Coca-Cola will visit an almost completely deserted Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wis.—in one of its two 60-second Super Bowl commercials.
Coke released the first spot online Monday, and it's a cute tale of a small kid named Adrian who goes from benchwarmer to star of his high school football team with one impressive fumble recovery and return for a touchdown. In fact, he doesn't stop there. He keeps running from Ashwaubenon, a suburb of Green Bay, all the way to Lambeau, where he does a touchdown dance and a little Lambeau Leap—and gets an ice-cold Coca-Cola from the groundskeeper (played by the actual Lambeau groundskeeper of 17 years).
Most of the cast consists of Green Bay-area residents, the soda maker said, and the spot as a whole is meant to celebrate Coke's connection to modest communities across the country. " 'Going All the Way' is a story that celebrates a young man accomplishing his dreams. It's also a celebration of the amazing town of Ashwaubenon, Wis., coming together and our wonderful partnership with the city of Green Bay," Katie Bayne, president of North America Brands at Coca-Cola North America, said in a statement. "While Coca-Cola is a global brand, this ad illustrates the deep roots it has in every community where it does business. We are in every city and every town across the country, ready to provide the kind of refreshing, uplifting moments of optimism Adrian enjoys after his journey to Lambeau Field."
The ad, created by Wieden + Kennedy in Portland, Ore., and RSA director Jake Scott, will air in the second half. For a Super Bowl commercial, it's cute but pretty quiet. You'd expect the other :60, in some form or other, to be splashier than this. The other spot will air during the second quarter.