All those employees sent packing last September and October and going to unlimited PTO must have freed up enough money for EY to blow on an ad debuting during tomorrow’s Super Bowl between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
And no one is more pumped about it than Kelly Grier, EY U.S. chair and managing partner and Americas managing partner.
It’ll cost you about $5.5 million for a 30-second spot during Super Bowl LV, but lucky for EY, the firm was able to “purchase a spot during Sunday’s game at a fraction of the normal cost of a typical Big Game ad,” Grier wrote in an email to EYers on Saturday morning.
The commercial will air in only 10 cities that have the “highest concentration of our clients and people,” Grier wrote, but it will be plastered all over the firm’s social media channels at some point tomorrow.
We haven’t seen a sneak preview of the ad, but Grier included an internal link that we don’t have access to for EY employees to view it before the game. However, EY did put this 34-second video on its YouTube channel earlier today. Don’t know if this is the ad, but here it is [UPDATE: This was indeed the ad. It aired about 9:18 p.m. in the Chicago area.]:
Thanks to a tipster here’s the email Grier sent to EY employees this morning:
To: US all-hands
During a year unlike any other, I’m looking forward to one tradition that holds strong this weekend – watching Sunday’s Big Game! While we may not be able to gather as we have in years past, I still plan on enjoying delicious food and checking out the commercials – always one of my family’s favorite activities.
But this year, I’m even more excited for the ads, because many of us will see a familiar brand … ours!
Never before has our brand’s purpose more perfectly aligned with the conversation of the day. No matter what came our way, we supported each other, our people and our clients by living our purpose of building a better working world. We could not be prouder of the incredible work you do for our clients, each other and our communities. Every day, you act with purpose and the #CourageToLead.
We were presented with a unique opportunity to purchase a spot during Sunday’s game at a fraction of the normal cost of a typical Big Game ad. And what better way to highlight and celebrate our purpose and the tremendous work you do than an ad on such an iconic stage?
We were deliberate and strategic in where and how we showed up. This is truly an opportunistic, likely once-in-a-blue moon EY branding event that will serve as a “booster” of the very successful marketing and advertising campaigns run during FY21. The spot will be airing in 10 markets that have the highest concentration of our clients and people. But don’t worry – if you’re not in one of these markets, you’ll still be able to check out the ad on social media and on ey.com. Either way, please keep an eye out on our social channels to like, comment and share with your networks!
The spot showcases our purpose and our belief that asking Better Questions to seek better answers has the power to move the world forward. It brings together all we are doing in the market and our communities and highlights your incredible resiliency. Without further ado, here’s a sneak preview.
I know I speak on behalf of all of our leaders when I say that we are so proud of this firm, and we are thrilled at the opportunity to share our pride and our organization’s incredible purpose in a bold way and with so many people. It’s a pivotal moment for our brand and this commercial brings to life everything we do.
Here’s to you – thank you for all you do each and every day. Please tune in on Sunday and enjoy the game!
Are any other EYers excited about seeing the Black and Yellow on their TV during the game tomorrow, or is this just Kelly being Kelly?
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