San Francisco Shorts Company Finalist For Super Bowl Ad
NEW YORK (AP) — A San Francisco company that makes shorts, one that roasts coffee and an old-fashioned five-and-dime store are the finalists in a contest to win a Super Bowl ad.
The three companies got the most votes from the public in the competition sponsored by software maker Intuit Inc. The winner, the company with the most votes, will get a 30-second spot during Super Bowl 50 on Feb. 7.
The top three vote-getters among 10 companies chosen by Intuit employees:
—Chubbies Shorts, San Francisco, maker of shorts and other clothes
—Death Wish Coffee Co., Round Lake, New York, coffee roaster
—Vidler's 5 & 10, an East Aurora, New York, retailer fashioned after the five-and-dimes that were fixtures across the country for much of the 20th century.
The contest began in June with the public voting on thousands of companies. In September, Intuit employees winnowed the contestants down to 10, and the public again voted, with Chubbies, Death Wish and Vidler's coming out on top. The winner will be announced shortly before the Super Bowl.
The commercial to be aired during the game will be the second small-business ad Intuit has paid for. GoldieBlox, a toy for girls, won the software maker's first competition and had a 30-second spot during the 2014 Super Bowl.
Super Bowl ads are usually bought by high-profile brands like Chevy, Doritos and Budweiser. Ads during this year's Super Bowl cost $4.5 million for 30 seconds of air time, not including the cost of producing the spots. That puts the commercials well out of financial reach for most small companies.
The ads get almost as much attention as the game itself. Viewers post comments on social media, and the commercials are a topic of conversation the day after the game.
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