Canadian celebs making a big mark with Super Bowl commercials

Ask Michael Bublwhat's in a name this weekend, and his answer might be one word: money.

The singeris the latest Canadian to land a lucrative Super Bowl commercial, whichwas released late this week. Bubl is putting his name behind Bubly, the new water brand from Pepsi. Or maybe it's the other way around.

"They didn't just pick a random celebrity. He was chosen for a reason,"saidPeterIgnazi, globalchiefcreative officer of theCanadian ad agencyCosette.

Canadians have long starred in Super Bowl ads, but which ones were a hit?

6 years ago

Duration 6:46

Peter Ignazi, of the ad agency Cossette, lists his three favourite Super Bowl ads starring Canadians and explains what makes them so great.

Ignazi doesn't love the commercial, but he loves that it makes perfect sense.

"His name is almost the same as the product. He's very popular, charming. He can act, and he probably appeals very much to the demographic they're trying to attract."

While sillinessis the name of thegame for Bubly and Bubl,Canadian star appealis taken seriously by Americanadvertisers.

A hot streak better than Tom Brady's

Canadians have been killing it in the big game even more than five-time Super Bowl champ Tom Brady.

The proof is in the ads:

• Michael Bubl, 2019
• KeanuReeves, 2018
• JustinBieber,2017
• Drake, 2016
• Ryan Reynolds, 2016

This year, Super Bowl LIII marksfour yearsin a row that at leastone Canadian star hasscored an ad in the big game.

Throw in pre-game ads and thestreakdoubles to eightyears, reaching backto 2011 and pulling in actors WilliamShatner(2015, 2014, 2013 and 2012),Will Arnett(2012withthis and this) and alittle morebaby-facedBieberin 2011.

The Canadian celebrity connectionwith the Super Bowl actuallygoes back more than 30 years.But first, whyare Canadian stars on such a Super Bowl roll?

Successfuland safe

The downloadsand ticket sales being generated by today's Canadian stars are impressive ata global level.Simply put, most of the Canadianstars in Super Bowl ads are bankable.There's another factor at play though, accordingto Canadianad industry insiders.

Our Canadian brand is we are inclusive and friendly and andacceptingand polite. Theseare things the world knows and needs more of, and we've never been more popular.- Nancy Crimi-Lamanna, chief creative officer, FCB Toronto

Nancy Crimi-Lamanna,chiefcreative officer at FCB Toronto,sayswhile Canadian stars landing Super Bowl deals "are at the top of their game,"the "Canadian"brand helps them.

"Our Canadian brand is we are inclusive and friendly and andacceptingand polite," she said.

"Theseare things the world knows and needs more of and we've never been more popular."

Ignazithinks there's even more to the Canadian brand.

Canadian celebs have "asort of cleanliness in terms of image" that makes them seem safe, he said, especially, "in light of what's gone on in Hollywood and other industries," referring torecent sexual misconduct scandals.

"Canada has the reputation of nice, funny, not very scary or threatening people," saidIgnazi."I think that's what works really well."

A surprisingstart

It was Apple'sdystopian 1984 ad tointroducethe Macintosh personal computer that madeSuper Bowlcommercials important.The first iconic Canadian to star in an ad for the big game took the stage just a year later.Thatwas Bobby Orr.Hisad for asoftwarecompanywas nowhere near as memorable as his hockeycareer.

If Canadians got off to a forgettable start, a massive fan favourite of the '80sand '90scored with a series ofads.

The Fox factor

From 1987 to 1990 Michael J Fox starredin fourSuper Bowl commercialsfor Diet Pepsi. Fox was riding high on thewave of success that came from Back to theFuture twoyears earlier.

The first spot had Fox playing his quintessential comedicnice guy. The nextinvolved fighting off a mad dog, anotherbeing cloned and oneabig night at the opera.

"At the time, hewas arguably the biggest movie starin the world,"said Tim Hopkinsof TorontoadagencyZulu Alpha Kilo.

Sure Fox was super funny and super popular, but for Hopkinsthe key to Fox's durability for Pepsiwas actually authenticity.

"Hecomes across as being someone that is really genuine, very real, and a brand is going to want to be associated with that," he says. That realness helped landFox another Super Bowl spot for Lays in 1998.

A hard act to follow

After Fox, the Canadian celebrity with the most Super Bowl success is open to debate. William Shatner has done five Super Bowl ads for Priceline, including the one in which his "Negotiator" character was seemingly killed off.

Shatnercame back to do three more spotsfor the big game but here's the catch: fourof Shatner'sSuper Bowlappearances werein pre-game programming.He alsoshared the spotlight in three of them, withAmerican sitcom starKaley Cuococast as his daughter.

StarsWill Arnettand Justin Bieber have both done two Super Bowl commercials,thoughBieber hadto share share his screen time with other stars. There's also a Canadian Super Bowl ad that starred not a person but an object: the StanleyCup.

Too bad the winningteam was American.

Flops and favourites

Not every Canadian-linkedSuper Bowl ad has been a success.The flop that stands out for Crimi-Lamanna was Cline Dion's Chrysler spot in 2003.She believesthe automaker made a huge mistake in choosing a Canadian icon as its ambassador.

"No one believes that ClineDionwould ever drive that car," she laughed. "There's nothing authentic about.And people sing in the car but not in that fashion, I kept waiting for the joke!"

Comedy is a common trait in Super Bowl ads generally.Going for a laughhad Bob and Doug McKenziedive out of a plane over a lost beer in a MolsonIce Super Bowl spot.But as Canadian as that sounds, it wasn't one of favouritesfor ad experts.

Drake straddles beingstill pretty wholesome and well mannered but also a rebel.-Tim Hopkins, Group Strategy Director Zulu Alpha Kilo

BothIgnazi and Hopkins put Drake's T-Mobile commercialon the top of their list as the best "Canadian"Super Bowl commercial.Hopkins says "Drake straddles being still pretty wholesome and well mannered, but also a rebel."

Hopkinsthinks the spot works well in balancingthe star and the brand.Ignazibelieves Drake is great actor and loved that "T-Mobile had the biggest hip-hop star in the world but they also let him be himself."

Ignazipoints out thatthis was the only spot where the star was identified as Canadian in the actual ad.

Crimi-Lamannapicks Ryan Reynolds's Hyundai ad and theJustinBieber/Ozzy OsbourneBest Buy spotas favourites but also loves the Toyota ad featuringCanadian ParalympicskiierLauren Woolstencroft.

"This is when a celebrityand brand merge in themost seamlessway possible,when a brand really steps back and lets the humanity shine," she said.

The commercialcelebratesToyota's sponsorship of the Olympic and Paralympic games, and its efforts to become a mobility company, not just a car maker.

Can more Canadian women score ads inthe big game?

Women have had smallerroles in Super Bowl ads generally and the Dion and Woolstencroft commercials show that trend is alsotruewith Canadian stars.

Crimi-Lamanna says, although femalefactor in the ads needs work, theCanadianpresence in theSuper Bowl is already special.

"We've had a rich history."

Ignazi named some Canadian stars who have a chance to land Super Bowl ads in the future.

With Alessia Cara,we talked about authenticity earlier and that's what her brand is about.- Peter Ignazi, Global Creative Chief, Cosette

Among them are The Weeknd, Shawn Mendes, Ryan Gosling and Mike Myers, but also actor Sandra Oh and singer Alessia Cara.

"With Alessia Cara, we talked about authenticity earlier and that's what her brand is about," he said.