Social media site Reddit took out a brief advertisement during the 2021 Super Bowl that celebrated the power of the underdog following the trading frenzy inspired by subreddit WallStreetBets that involved GameStop stocks.
The ad, which can be seen here , was a mere five seconds long and it was nothing more than a screenshot of text surrounded by a red border. While it may have been short and not the typical ad that most viewers are used to seeing during the Super Bowl, the message was a nod to the power of the people when they come together and act upon issues that are important to them.
“Wow. This really happened,” the ad read in large letters.
“If you’re reading this, it means our bet paid off,” it continued, adding that “big game spots are expensive, so we couldn’t buy a full one.”
“But we were inspired and decided to spend our marketing budget on 5 seconds of airtime,” it read.
“One thing we learned from our communities last week is that underdogs can accomplish just about anything when they come together around a common idea,” the text continued, referencing the impact members of the WallStreetBets made on the stock market.
“Powerful things happen when people rally around something they really care about. And there’s a place for that. It’s called Reddit,” it concluded.
As The Inquisitr recently reported, stocks for GameStop surged after amateur investors — mostly members of the subreddit WallStreetBets — decided to buy stock in the company in late January, essentially driving up its price and causing professional “short sellers” to lose approximately $876 million.
Reddit shared an update on its Instagram account Sunday night, referencing the adverstiement. The post included a rudimentary sketch that showed a figure with the Reddit logo for a head holding a drink standing in the corner of a room while a horse stood among a pile of items that included a hoodie, a jar of “mayo,” and a bag of “cheese things.”
A sentence at the top of the image indicated the company might have spent most of its entire budget on the commercial. While there was no mentioned of what it cost, the New York Post reported that 30-second commercials during the Super Bowl sell for $5,500,000, meaning the five-second ad potentially cost Reddit around $916,000.
Dozens of followers chimed in with their thoughts about the ad.
“Dear reddit marketing team, you win. The end,” one user wrote.
“Best 5 second commercial,” a second follower agreed.
“Rise of the underdogs. Lighting up the house,” added a third fan of the content.