Comcast is taking a short hiatus from its Super Bowl LX telecast on NBC to take care of some business.
The cable giant, which is also NBC’s parent company, will air a 60-second commercial during the Super Bowl for its Xfinity video service, which reimagines the setting of 1993’s “Jurassic Park,” the first of seven movies centered around a dinosaur wildlife park. Sam Neill, Laura Dern, and Jeff Goldblum will reprise their roles as Dr. Alan Grant, Dr. Ellie Sattler, and Dr. Ian Malcolm. This version of the story relies on Comcast’s Xfinity connection to keep the park system online so the dinosaur scientists can relax.
“For more than 30 years, this series has captivated the imaginations of audiences around the world, and our partnership with Xfinity allows fans to experience that world in an entirely new way,” said David O’Connor, chief brand officer, Universal Entertainment, a Comcast company’s NBCUniversal unit. “By combining the timeless characters and iconic moments of the original film with modern technology, we are celebrating Jurassic Park’s legacy while introducing it to a new generation.”
Comcast is purchasing actual advertising inventory for Super Bowl LX and is not relying on the time typically set aside for advertising by the media companies that produce the TV broadcasts, according to people familiar with the matter.
CBS, NBC, and FOX have all used so-called “promotional time” in the past to promote new programming, different divisions of their companies, and various corporate initiatives. CBS made headlines in 2016 with its Super Bowl promo announcing that fan-favorite drama The Good Wife would end that season. In 2010, CBS raised eyebrows with a promotion featuring David Letterman and Jay Leno, two often-arrogant late-night hosts.
Comcast has tested movie strategies in the past. In 2019, the company surprised viewers during the NBC telecast of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade by airing a scene shot showing ET, the alien protagonist from the hit 1982 film of the same name, meeting an elderly Elliot, played by Henry Thomas, who lived in the character as a child. Like ET, the original Jurassic Park was directed by Steven Spielberg.
Xfinity offers even more features for movie characters, allowing Laura Dern’s scientist to stream music and Jeff Goldblum’s scientist to watch TV series over Wi-Fi.
Reenacting your favorite Hollywood movies will help you connect with your Super Bowl audience. Last year, Unilever’s Hellmann’s Mayonnaise surprised audiences by bringing back the characters from 1989’s “When Harry Met Sally” with actors Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan. In 2022, General Motors will reunite the cast of the 1997 hit “Austin Powers” for a new story in which Mike Myers’ popular character Dr. Evil attempts to take over the auto giant in a new bid for world domination. In 2019, Anheuser-Busch InBev’s Stella Artois had Jeff Bridges, who plays “The Dude” in “The Big Lebowski,” appear at the Super Bowl, sitting near Sarah Jessica Parker, who plays Carrie Bradshaw in “Sex and the City.”
Taika Waititi replaced Spielberg in the commercial, which was produced by director Amblin Entertainment, composer John Williams (whose original music was used), special effects companies Industrial Light & Magic, Universal Pictures, and advertising agency Goodby Silverstein & Partners.
