Continuing the fight against antisemitism
After airing its first Super Bowl ad last month, the Foundation to Combat Antisemitism will also advertise during Hollywood’s big night. Based on real events that took place in the Boston area last year, “Neighbors” shows a bar mitzvah that’s interrupted by a bomb threat. As sirens wail and police arrive, people from a nearby church step in to help members of the synagogue, giving them shelter and space to continue their ceremony.
The nonprofit group, founded by New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, points out that 895 Jewish temples in America received bomb threats in 2023. Its ongoing media push aims to counter a noted rise in antisemitic hate in the U.S. over the last several years.
Sound and fury
In its first campaign since a rebrand last year, SiriusXM launched a cinematic 3-minute spot today that will get its television debut, in a shortened version, during the Academy Awards.
The short film, called “A Life in Sound,” is “a celebration of the power of audio,” according to Suzi Watford, the brand’s chief growth officer.
The work, from agency Uncommon Creative Studio and lauded director Kim Gehrig, follows a woman dancing through various phases of her life, with an eclectic soundtrack that includes Doja Cat, Bat for Lashes, Soul II Soul, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, among others, with voices of SiriusXM hosts like Nikki and Brie Garcia, Conan O’Brien and Jose Mangin.
The spot aims to highlight “the real, universal and uniquely human experience of being moved by the audio you love,” per Nils Leonard, co-founder at Uncommon.
SiriusXM also debuts an accompanying out of home campaign called “Superfan,” shot by Gabriel Moses. The billboards spotlight three growing genres—hip-hop, country and sports—with placements in New York, Los Angeles, Nashville, Boston and Atlanta.
More star power
Of course, Sunday’s ads will feature plenty of celebrity appearances, as seen in Wayfair’s Oscars debut. The online retailer’s ad, by Havas Chicago, invites people into the brightly-hued “Wayborhood,” which is populated by stars including Kelly Clarkson, Lisa Vanderpump, Tituss Burgess, Lisa Ann Walter and Stephanie Beatriz.
Wayfair’s commercial follows a trend that emerged during this year’s Super Bowl, which saw many advertisers packing in multiple celebrities in one spot.