“Whatever you are into, there is a Facebook Group for you.” Such is the tagline for Facebook’s first-ever Super Bowl commercial, airing during Super Bowl LIV on Feb. 2. The spot, features all things “rock” — literally. From rock climbing to rock sculpture to rocking chairs, the commercial highlights all sorts of “rock”-related Facebook groups, including a group dedicated to recreating the Rocky run up the stairs leading into the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Oh, and the person doing that run? Chris Rock. Though, Sylvester Stallone makes a cameo, because you’re not going to have a “rock” commercial without the actual Rocky.
The commercial is part of Facebook’s “More Together” campaign, which kicked off early last year. “You’re going to see some outrageous names for groups,” Antonio Lucio, CMO, Facebook, said of the commercial, per AdWeek. “They’re all real. The campaign is aimed at celebrating the feeling people get from getting together with people who share their interests via Facebook groups. The focus in 2020 is to ensure that the Facebook brand is more present in moments of culture.”
“Cultural moments are experienced through our platform every day. We felt this year that we wanted to be part of that conversation in a more direct way,” added the CMO. The spot follows a similar commercial that aired during the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards when a More Together TV spot debuted featuring hip-hop artist/bounce music legend Big Freedia and her connection with the International Kazoo Players Association Facebook group. Another ad in the campaign will debut during the 92nd Academy Awards Feb. 9.
The commercial is some indication that Facebook has recognized its popularity problem. In 2019, Edison Research’s new “The Infinite Dial” study, which looks at digital media consumer behavior in America, claimed that Facebook had about 15 million users fewer in the U.S. than it had in 2017, per Mashable. The silver lining is that Instagram remained popular (and Facebook owns Instagram.)
Perhaps this commercial will turn things around and draw some users back onto the social media network. “Hopefully, the message that we were able to deliver [with the Super Bowl commercial] is that there is a group for everyone, and you can find it in Facebook groups,” Lucio added. “There’s nothing intellectual about it. It’s a simple and joyful message.”