Last night's Pokemon's Super Bowl ad? An Indy guy worked on it
As always, last night's commercials were as — or more — entertaining (for better and for worse) than the game. The spot celebrating Pokémon's 20th anniversary airing during the third quarter. The commercial's creation was heavily due to an Indy guy's work. Here's his story:
Jay Mattingly was an 18-year-old Mt. Vernon High School student watching Super Bowl XL in 2006 when he saw this Nike Air Jordan commercial.
And that’s the moment he knew what he wanted to do.
"(Nike) turned marketing into an art form,” the now-29-year-old said on a phone call from L.A. "It moved me emotionally — a commercial — moved me emotionally. And since then, I wanted to make commercials for TV’s biggest event.”
Mattingly, account manager at advertising firm Omelet, will make his debut Sunday with not only his first Super Bowl commercial, but with Pokémon's first Super Bowl commercial to celebrate the franchise's 20th anniversary.
Not only did the job allow Mattingly to fulfill a dream, but it also gave him a chance to represent a product he loved.
"I actually grew up a super ardent Pokémon fan," he said. "When it first came out, I was right at the age they were targeting. I was an absolute fanatic. It's come full circle, that I got to actually work on the product."
Multi-national, multi-racial and multi-generational, the commercial looks through the eyes of children inspired by seeing others "training for greatness" — dashing to the top of a cliff, winning a chess match and prepping for a football game — before asserting: "I can do that." It builds to a Pokémon battle in a giant, roaring stadium, not unlike the one Super Bowl 50 viewers will see between commercials.
It closes with Pokémon looking at a father sitting with his young son on a couch, whispering, "You can do that." The 70-second spot was released in its entirety on Jan. 25 and has been watched almost 12 million times to date.
As a nod to equally-as-ardent fan like Mattingly, he and his team hid several easter eggs: A chess piece is a Pokémon character; and football players' jerseys aligned to read "1996," the year the game was released. But for those without the same history with the game, the hidden clues won't get in the way. It's just a way to target the original fans, or "Gen 1ers," who are now in their late 20s or early 30s.
"A big part of putting this spot together was celebrating the Gen 1ers and those who came in on the ground floor," he said. "But Pokémon wants to celebrate all its fans over 20 years."
The commercial will be pared down to 30 seconds and air during the third quarter, and it marks the final stop of an exciting year of planning, brainstorming and executing. But that wasn't the most stressful part — Mattingly had to keep the commercial double-extra-top-secret during that time ("Well, I mean ... I told my mom," he said under his breath).
"When you're in the middle of something like this, it's tough to step back and look around and say, 'This is really amazing,'" he said. "I'm only now able to do that this week."
Mattingly graduated from IUPUI with a marketing degree in 2009 and worked in Indy at firms Roundpeg and Bradley and Montgomery before moving out to L.A. to work at the latter's satellite office. He started at Omelet in 2013, where he was able to check that major box on his bucket list — but he's not worried about what's next.
"Yes, I set this benchmark, and yes I've been trying to get here for 10 years, but in that time, I've learned to take on new challenges and am still going to do that," he said. "But I think the first thing I'm going to do after working so many weekends is relax and enjoy the Super Bowl."
Call IndyStar reporter Amy Bartner at (317) 444-6752 and follow her on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Visit USA Today's Ad Meter to vote for your favorite Super Bowl ad!