WASHINGTON — You might have missed it if you happened to look away from the TV for just a second, but Reddit aired a very short Super Bowl ad on Sunday night. It was so quick and unexpected that the only way you could've managed to read it all would've been from screenshots or pausing your broadcast.
The commercial was just 5-seconds long and included an explanation for why it was so short. The ad explained that all the company could afford was 5 seconds of commercial airtime, so they spent the "entire marketing budget" on that.
"If you're reading this, it means our bet paid off," text shown on screen during the commercial explained.
"One thing we learned from our communities last week is that underdogs can accomplish just about anything when they come together around a common idea," the text added, referencing how a community of investors on the Reddit forum WallStreetBets wound up sparking a huge rally around Gamestop stock.
GameStop was trading at less than $18 a few weeks ago, but the stock soared after a group of smaller investors pushed each other on Reddit to keep the stock's momentum moving upward to oppose wealthy hedge funds who bet the stock would sink.
"Powerful things happen when people rally around something they really care about. And there's a place for that. It's called Reddit."
Full text of Reddit's Super Bowl commercial
"Wow, this actually worked.
If you're reading this, it means our bet paid off.
Big game spots are expensive, so we couldn't buy a full one. But we were inspired and decided to spend our entire marketing budget on 5 seconds of airtime. One thing we learned from our communities last week is that underdogs can accomplish just about anything when they come together around a common idea.
Who knows, maybe you'll be the reason finance textbooks have to add a chapter on "tendies." Maybe you'll help r/SuperbOwl teach the world the majesty of owls. Maybe you'll even pause this 5-second ad.
Powerful things happen when people rally around something they really care about. And there's a place for that. It's called Reddit."