As part of the 20th anniversary celebration of the Japanese franchise Pokemon by The Pokemon Company, a special celebratory 70-second Pokemon advertisement. The Pokemon ad has a 30-second spot at the Super Bowl 50, which is the 50th championship game of the National Football League. This will be the first time for Pokemon, derived from the term Pocket Monsters, will be seen in the Super Bowl big leagues.
According to The Verge, The Pokemon Company developed the ad with the help of LA-based agency Omelet. The Pokemon ad spent somewhere in the neighborhood of $10 million. Titled "Train On," the ad for Pokemon, derived from the term Pocket Monsters, is not an advertisement for a new Nintendo game. Instead, it is a simple but effective celebration of the Pokemon spirit.
While Pokemon celebrates Pokemon, the brand shares in celebrating the unbeatable spirit of athletes. Viewers must watch the ad closely to see the little touches of homage to the monster franchise.
RollingStone reports that Ad Age pointed out a few of these references in the Pokemon ad that long-time fans should be able to enjoy, such as the Pokemon theme song lyrics that is shown on a locker room door. Pikachu will also be seen watching TV while Charizard, Magneton and Gyarados battle in a huge stadium with Ash Ketchum.
As Ad Age reports, The Pokémon Company International senior director of consumer marketing, JC Smith, highlighted just how similar the Pokemon goals and aspirations are to those of athletes all over the world. "For 20 years, the Pokémon world has inspired fans to train hard and have fun," Smith said. "This ad is reflective of that passion, and I can't think of a bigger stage to share this story than the Super Bowl."
Super Bowl 50 is scheduled to air on Feb. 7, 2016. In the meantime, The Pokemon Company will have a few other surprises in store for their year-long celebration. Fans can check in at Pokemon20.com to stay on top of these surprises.
