“Stuff. We love stuff. And there’s some really great stuff out there,” says Ewan McGregor at the start of Expedia’s commercial for Super Bowl LVI. “But, I doubt any of us will look back in our lives and think, ‘I wish I bought an even thinner TV,'” adds the Obi-Wan Kenobi star, as he begins to walk across different sets presumably for other commercials, each hoping to sell the viewer some new stuff. While dismissing the idea of finding a lighter light beer, or a smarter smartphone, Ewan suggests that what people truly value is not physical possessions. As Ewan walks out a door, “Whole Wide World” by punk legend Wreckless Eric kicks in. “Do you think that any of us will look back at our lives and regret the things we didn’t buy or the places we didn’t go?” he asks.
The extended version shows Ewan pondering more about the types of possessions that people value in this world. Travel is a foreign concept in the time of coronavirus. Still, as vaccinations become readily available and people implement more personal protocols to stop the spread, folks are looking to travel again. Expedia is also running a “Travel The Ads” campaign during Super Bowl LVI. “: Car commercial cruising through Norway? We’ll help a lucky winner get there. An ad for avocados? …Then maybe it’s off to the beaches of Mexico,” the company writes in a press release. “Trips (in the form of Expedia Rewards points) will come in a limited number of packages ranging from $5K to a grand prize valued at $25K. View the full rules and details at www.Expedia.com/TravelTheAds.”
To win during Super Bowl LVI, one must follow @Expedia on Twitter, sign up to be an Expedia Rewards member (it’s free and easy to sign up) and quote-tweet @Expedia relating to the commercial spots airing during the Entry Period, and include the hashtag #TravelTheAds between 3:30 pm PT and 11:59 pm PT on Sunday, 2/13.
Before the release of the full spot, Ewan gave Super Bowl viewers a unique take on what they could expect from the Expedia commercial. Not only did he tease the contents of the ad but he explained why he’s passionate about being a part of it. In this behind-the-scenes look of his Expedia Super Bowl commercial, Ewan said he isn’t selling but sharing why he believes it’s so important for people to travel.
“I think I’m here because I want to encourage people to travel. I really think it’s an important part of my life and it’s given me such wonderful memories,” he shared as he walked through the set of his Expedia commercial. “It made me grow. And I think it feeds your soul to travel. So to be involved in a commercial that encourages people to do that as opposed to aspire to own more stuff, that’s something I’m very happy to do.”
As he shared personal anecdotes about trips he’d take with his family, he physically went on a journey as the set changed from a space theme to a western theme and then eventually a medieval theme with swords. “I’ve learned that life is more experiences than owning things. It does fit me– this advert,” he shared as he walked through the desert. “It’s a sort of cheeky look at the stuff we’re being sold all the time instead of what we’re encouraging people to do.”
Not only did Ewan make a vacation sound really tempting right about now, but he succeeded in creating some anticipation around this Expedia commercial. How is Ewan going to travel from space to the desert to a rainy city in the span of a 30-second commercial? What other fun settings can we expect? Even without the sets, the passionate way he speaks about traveling is enough to get people on their laptops and book a spontaneous trip.
For those who tune into the Super Bowl for the commercials (guilty!), there are plenty of fun ones to look forward to. Hannah Waddingham, who plays Rebecca in Ted Lasso, will be practicing her evil cackle in an ad for Rakuten while Arnold Schwarzenegger takes on Zeus in a BMW commercial. Guy Fieri even becomes the mayor of Flavor Town in an ad for Bud Lite Seltzer. It seems that this year, the Super Bowl commercials are more out of the box than ever and we’re not complaining.