Words by Richard “Treats” Dryden
During the fourth quarter of Super Bowl XLIX, the mood of the year’s biggest American sporting event shifted in an instant to a bizarro dancehall party thanks to a Loctite Super Glue commercial featuring a multi-cultural medley of fannypack-sporting characters including a Jamaican-accented handiman with smooth moves and a deejay flow reminiscent of Shaggy or Mr. Lexx.
Amidst the multi-million-dollar ads featuring major celebrities and brands such as Brian Cranston of Breaking Bad, for insurance company Esurance; and Kim Kardashian-West, for T-Mobile, the German glue company’s 30 seconds in the national TV spotlight proved to be memorable and effective, taking off on social media. As of press time, YouTube views for the spot entitled “Positive Feelings” (which cost approximately $4.5 million, about the size of Loctite’s usual annual advertisement budget, for the placement) has 338,151 views, and a remixed version of the ad has 504,085.
The odd Jamaican twist makes more sense when one notes that the spot was directed by Tim Heideker and Eric Wareheim, known for their oddball comedy on Adult Swim; the clip echoes the surreal dancehall vibes of Wareheim’s work with Major Lazer, whose video for “Pon De Floor” he directed. (Tim & Eric previously directed Super Bowl spots for Boost Mobile and Tostitos.) It’s also the latest in a line of unexpected cameos from Jamaica during America’s big game. In 2013, it was Volkswagen’s semi-controversial ad featuring a white office worker speaking with an unexpected yardie accent, accompanied by an equally “sunny” VW ad with Jimmy Cliff singing the Partridge Family’s “Get Happy.”
And perhaps most notably of all, there’s Patriots safety Patrick Chung, the Jamaican-born son of reggae singer Sophia George, whose work shutting down the Seahawks offense helped New England bring home the Super Bowl.
But Loctite really went all in to make sure it had the Super Bowl, well, locked tight, spending roughly the same amount on the spot as it normally does for its entire annual advertising budget. Their catchy jingle is just one part of a 5-song playlist streaming on their Soundcloud page. Songs like “Keep It Loctite” have a new-age trap/EDM-meets-dancehall feeling reminiscent of Major Lazer by way of Soulja Boy’s “Crank Dat,” while “Easy Living” brings some irie reggae vibes. We can’t shake the thought that Sean Paul’s “Like Glue” should have been referenced somehow.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7TjgUwNJ72k
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lKe7j9tSwW4