This year, the Super Bowl celebrates a serious milestone: It's turning 50. And who better to celebrate than an organization dedicated solely to helping people over the age of 50?
AARP couldn't miss the perfect opportunity to recognize a big birthday that ties so perfectly with its focus. And while the group won't be running an ad during the game, it will be building some momentum for its new ad campaign around the Big Game.
Barbara Shipley, senior vice president of brand integration at AARP, told Adweek the organization knew it couldn't miss out on the chance to spread its message about the joy of turning 50. It created the "Fearless at 50" campaign with agency Grey NY, and the new ads feature four AARP members who have, since reaching the milestone of turning 50, done something fearless.
The campaign hopes to prove that "at 50, you've still got it," Shipley said. It highlights men and women who have taken risks—from jumping out of their own 50th birthday cakes or belly dancing—and shows that 50 isn't an age to fear, but an age filled with possibilities.
"One of the things we like about aligning our brand with football is that football is ageless," Shipley said. "With the Super Bowl turning 50, it was too good of an opportunity to pass up."
"AARP is not about retiring. It's about living," said David Cohen, creative director at Grey NY. "We are trying, in everything we are doing, to surprise and delight people and tell them that people at 50 are a lot different today then they were when your grandmother was 50."
CBS sportscaster and AARP community ambassador James Brown narrates the spots. On game day, during one of the pregame hours on CBS, Brown and company will showcase some of their own fearless content, according to Shipley, but no other details were shared at this time.
The organization won't run the spots during the actual game—a hefty $5 million price tag for one 30-second spot could be reason enough for sitting on the sidelines during the Big Game—but will run one during the pregame show. The campaign will break this Saturday during the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cincinnati Bengals wild card game.
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