Dec. 31--While the Bears are in hibernation for another Super Bowl, an unlikely suburban Chicago team is set to make its second consecutive appearance in the big game.
Bolingbrook-based WeatherTech, which made a splash last year with its homegrown ad for car floor mats, is partnering again with Pinnacle, a small Schaumburg advertising agency, to compete on the ultimate national TV stage.
""The Super Bowl is a large part of their advertising budget, but it makes sense," said Michael Magnusson, founder and CEO of Pinnacle Advertising.
NBC is charging a reported $4.5 million per 30-second spot in Super Bowl XLIX, which will take place Feb. 1 in Glendale, Ariz.
Other local players include Chicago ad agency Energy BBDO, which is cooking up another "Up for Whatever" campaign for Bud Light. Leo Burnett is launching a new campaign for Oak Brook-based McDonald's, which is making its first Super Bowl appearance in years. And DDB Chicago, McDonald's longtime agency, will still have some skin in the game with Skittles, a rookie Super Bowl advertiser.
WeatherTech will run one 30-second commercial in the first half of this season's game, Magnusson said.
Few advertisers have more to gain -- or lose -- than WeatherTech, a private company that has created a niche by manufacturing and distributing custom car floor mats and accessories from its Bolingbrook factory. The big game is a big gamble, where a commercial can make or break a brand's image.
The 2014 Super Bowl on Fox drew an average audience of 111.5 million viewers, according to Nielsen. Viewers also saw a record 41 minutes of paid commercials between the opening kickoff and final whistle, according to Kantar Media.
WeatherTech, which ran one 30-second commercial in the second quarter, was a virtual unknown to most viewers. But the ad raised the company's profile, and generated enough online traffic and business to warrant a return to the game, Magnusson said.
"When you take a look at the national scope and the audience that the Super Bowl provides, it allowed WeatherTech to take a very large step into the awareness of the American consumer." Magnusson said.
WeatherTech's inaugural Super Bowl ad, "You Can't Do That," focused on the WeatherTech made-in-America story.
The Super Bowl Advertising Review at Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management gave the spot a D in its annual report card, saying it wasn't clear what product WeatherTech makes.
"This year the big opportunity is to spend a little more time explaining here's exactly why this makes such good sense to go out and purchase," said Tim Calkins, a Kellogg marketing professor who heads up the Super Bowl review.
Founded in 1989 by David MacNeil, WeatherTech makes custom vehicle floor mats, which it sells direct to consumers and to automobile manufacturers. Originally he imported the mats from England, then began manufacturing them in Bolingbrook about seven years ago. The company has about 1,000 employees.
WeatherTech spent about $74 million on measured media, which includes radio, TV and print, in 2013, according to Kantar Media. Bolstered by the reported $4 million it spent on Super Bowl 2014, its year-over-year budget more than doubled through September.
The company used the Super Bowl ad for about 60 days after the big game, and now has about 20 spots in rotation, Magnusson said.
Pinnacle also has benefited from the Super Bowl ad.
Founded in 1998 as a retail and automotive ad agency by Magnusson, a former Chicago Tribune ad sales executive, Pinnacle has taken a huge leap forward in the wake of its national exposure. The agency, which has 138 employees and annual billings of more than $100 million, added a number of clients last year, and finds itself competing against major ad agencies for new business.
"We got a ton of recognition," said Magnusson, 48. "For the agency, it really took us to another level. We have acquired a lot more business over the past year."
rchannick@tribpub.com
Twitter @RobertChannick
