Pitt takes a Super Bowl ad and runs with it
Brad Pitt finally has diverted the world’s attention from his breakup with Jennifer Aniston by mocking the celebrity-obsessed media in a Super Bowl beer commercial.
The 60-second spot, which has Pitt running from paparazzi while trying to buy a six-pack of Heineken, was a hot topic Monday on the Internet. The background song was The Styx classic Renegade, with sample lyrics: “The jig is up, the news is out, they finally found me.”
At the end of the ad, Pitt calls someone for a ride home. Guessing who that would be now that he is separated from Aniston was a subject of much online speculation.
“It’s the biggest mystery since Bill Murray whispered in Scarlett Johansson’s ear at the end of Lost in Translation,” Noelle Hancock wrote on celebrity Web site Gawker.com.
The ad aired in select cities because Anheuser-Busch’s deal as the exclusive national beer advertiser on the game limits other beer ads to regional buys.
According to a source with knowledge of the costs, the total bill came to about $5 million, including ad time and production expenses. That would leave Pitt earning $1 million to $2 million.
The spot was directed by David Fincher, who also directed Pitt in Seven and Fight Club. It was created by the Weiden + Kennedy agency in Amsterdam, where Heineken is based.
Heineken USA spokesman Dan Tearno says the ad, which was shot specifically for the Super Bowl, will never air again in the USA. It was widely circulating Monday on the Internet.
“We’ve had tremendous feedback,” says Tearno, who declined to discuss specifics, citing an agreement with Pitt. “It’s clear that our commercial will go down as one of the Super Bowl’s most memorable moments.”
Many celebrities do ads for overseas markets, but major stars shun ads in the USA, although that has been changing. Nicole Kidman is the new face of Chanel No. 5. Catherine Zeta-Jones has a contract with T-mobile. Robert De Niro appears in an American Express ad.
The Heineken ad worked, says Glenn Pere of Pere Partnership advertising agency in New York, because fans recognized Pitt’s personal challenges with the paparazzi. “Everyone feels sorry for him. And they take it that if anyone knows anything about beer, it’s going to be Brad Pitt.”
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