W+K Goes With ‘Someone Else’ for TurboTax’s Big Game Ad

TurboTax unveiled a teaser of its Super Bowl spot by “Someone Else,” starring James Lipton, who thinks he’s going to star in the ad but is told they’re going with “Someone Else.”

Lipton is more than a little enthusiastic for the role, arriving in a hand-knit TurboTax sweater and flying in his granddaughter for the shoot. When Lipton receives the news that he will not get the part he is visibly crushed, but still is nice enough to share the TurboTax ice cream cake he brought with him. The ad mixed meta and cringe humor, mocking celebrity endorsements and Super Bowl teasers while employing both and also finding humor in Lipton’s eagerness for the part. Cringe humor is difficult to pull off, especially in advertising, and W+K doesn’t quite hit the mark here, although the spot is far from the worst Super Bowl teaser we’ve seen. As for the identity of the “Someone Else” who will replace Lipton, that will remain a secret until TurboTax’s ad appears in the third quarter of the Super Bowl on Sunday. That 30-second spot will mark the brand’s third consecutive big game appearance.