Rocket Adds Live ‘Country Roads’ Sing-Along to Super Bowl Commercial, in Bid for ‘Moment of Unity’

Brian Steinberg
·3-min read

Like Coca-Cola once did, Rocket Cos. tried to use a commercial to teach the world to sing — in perfect harmony.

The company, which offers mortgages among other financial services, orchestrated an in-stadium sing-along during Fox’s Sunday broadcast of Super Bowl LIX, cajoling a crowd at New Orleans’ Caesars’ Superdome to come together and belt out  John Denver’s “Take Me Home, Country Roads,” just after a 60-second commercial used the popular tune to talk about helping people fulfill a dream of achieving home ownership.

“We are using the Super Bowl as a moment of unity,” says Jonathan Mildenhall, Rocket’s chief marketing officer, during a recent interview. “Let’s be honest,” he added. “’Take Me Home, Country Roads’ is one of very few songs, probably — I can only think of “Sweet Caroline’ — that when you play it anywhere in the world, everyone sings.”

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Rocket’s effort was ambitious. Yes, the history of advertising offers examples of commercials and ad campaigns that are both widely popular and inspirational, including Coca-Cola’s revered 1971 “Hilltop” ad that featured a multicultural group of singers warbling about how they’d “like to buy the world a home / And furnish it with love.” But the consumer reaction is never guaranteed.

The mission hinged on a “little bit of luck and a lot of coordination,” says Mildenhall.

And there was some risk. On TV, the sound of the song coming from the loudspeakers seemed louder than the crowd. Most folks were pictured staying in their seats, rather than standing up and taking part in active fashion.

Rocket’s hopes were emblematic of those of many advertisers seeking to court consumers from all walks of life in an era when the rise of social- and digital media has pushed the average person to become more tribal. Consumers are more prone to seek out groups that play to their own interests and attitudes. Advertisers need to find a way to appeal to them all — especially at the Super Bowl, one of the few remaining traditional TV events that draws a massive audience from all walks of life to a simultaneous viewing session.

Making it look appealing took quick work at the Superdome. Once Fox cut to the commercial break that included the Rocket ad, the stadium crowd as invited to participate via use of promotional announcements, a D.J. and the facility’s various screens. “While this made me a little nervous as a CMO, it really is spontaneous,” says Mildenhall, “No staging.”

The company was bolstered by research showing that 92% of Americans agree that home ownership can serve as a building block to achieving satisfaction,’ says Mildenhall. “There’s nothing political about it at all,” he says.

In this case, however, the idea had complications. Fox and the NFL initially turned down the live, in-stadium singing session, believing that there would be more control around the concept if crowds were pre-taped singing the song during pre-game coverage when the network was in commercial breaks. “I was disappointed,” Mildenhall says.

Two weeks ago, the powers-that-be warmed to the concept, seeing there was an opportunity to try something new with Super Bowl commercials after decades of hewing to formula. TV networks routinely give Super Bowl sponsors an extra on-air shout-out with the use of “billboards,” or snippets of coverage that might put a logo on screen or have an announcer tell viewers that the program is “brought to you by….” But a sing-along adds a longer piece to the mix.

Indeed, says Mildenhall, the sing-along will be considered part of Fox’s commercial inventory. An extra 15 seconds devoted to the sight of the crowd crooning is considered “incremental media,” he says. “We are essentially paying for it. It is not free.”

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