WeatherTech brings pro-America messaging back to the Super Bowl

WeatherTech is returning to the Super Bowl for the eighth consecutive year, bringing back the pro-American theme that has long been central to its creative.

The Bolingbrook, Ill.-based car mat maker—which has featured its in-house injection molding and thermoforming while showing off car accessories and pet products—is confident that despite the pandemic, the National Football League will play a full season and that there will be strong viewership for the Super Bowl, says Mike Magnusson, president and CEO of Pinnacle Advertising, WeatherTech's ad agency of record.

In fact, Magnusson predicts there could be even more attention paid to the game and commercials, since it is more likely that viewers will be at home with their families instead of at big parties or bars where they might be more distracted.

WeatherTech will begin production on the 30-second commercial shortly. Historically, WeatherTech's commercials have featured few actors and Magnusson says there will be no issues with being able to social distance.

The company introduced a new line of plastic face shields to protect against COVID-19 last month and it also struck a deal with Purell in support of its new CupFone attachment that also holds hand sanitizer.

Magnusson says the jury is still out on whether the new face shield will appear in the Super Bowl commercial.

Even as the ad industry grapples with the pandemic, Magnusson says WeatherTech will be able to move forward in the Super Bowl without having to alter much of its previous strategy.

"It's a direct-to-consumer brand and hasn't been affected the way brick-and-mortar has been; we haven't had to alter the course at all," he said.

While WeatherTech has long taken a "Made in America" stance in its Super Bowl commercials, last year that messaging took a back seat to its efforts to garner publicity and donations for the School of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, which had treated the dog of WeatherTech's founder David MacNeil. The Golden Retriever, Scout, which had been featured in prior Super Bowl ads, passed away shortly after the spot aired in the game.