Duracell Leverages Tom Brady Partnership for Super Bowl Commercial

Duracell, the battery giant, aims to create a memorable Super Bowl experience by associating its renowned power sources with Tom Brady, the iconic quarterback who is making his NFL announcer debut for Fox.

In a commercial intended to keep viewers captivated, Fox Sports' Brady and his co-host, Kevin Burkhardt, engage in a discussion about game action. However, Brady abruptly switches off. Within seconds, the "Duracell Scientist" appears, attributing the issue to non-Duracell batteries. The scientist emphasizes that "winners like Tom here only run on Duracell." Brady's inner machinery also reveals a fondness for blueberry smoothies, avocados, and lemon, but it's Duracell that swiftly restores him to full power.

"Everyone will be watching Brady," says Ramon Velutini, President of Duracell's US and Latin America operations, highlighting the commercial's reliance on Brady's star power. "Is he going to make a mistake? Is he going to nail it?"

Brady has openly acknowledged the chatter surrounding his commentary debut. "You work as hard as you can to prepare yourself, knowing that you're going to wish you did some things over," he admitted at a recent press conference.

Velutini notes that without Brady's presence, the commercial's success would be uncertain, despite the introduction of the new Duracell Scientist character. "You need to go for something that is going to break through," he explains. "We are unapologetically trying to sell Duracell batteries."

Procter & Gamble has employed similar tactics in the past, with Tide creating a successful Super Bowl commercial in 2017 featuring Terry Bradshaw attempting to remove a stain. Other brands have capitalized on the Super Bowl's massive viewership to capture extra attention for their ads.

Fox's collaboration was crucial for Duracell's commercial placement, ensuring that it would air immediately before the game resumed.

Velutini emphasizes the challenges of selling batteries, as their functionality is often unnoticeable. "That part of your brain reserved to think about batteries is very small, and that part to battery advertising is even smaller," he states.

Duracell's partnership with Brady and Burkhardt emerged quickly, with the company securing a deal with Fox for the ad in late December. "You can't imagine how my last month has been," Velutini remarks.