By this point, you’ve likely seen the best commercial from the Super Bowl, even if you opted not to watch the game. But odds are you missed the most unlikely one.
The sole remaining Blockbuster Video store, located in Bend, Ore., might not have had the budget for a nationally broadcast $7 million ad during the game, but that didn’t stop it from hopping on the Big Game’s coattails. The store opted to bypass over the air advertising, instead running its spot on Instagram, hoping the internet would do its thing and make it viral.
It worked.
The ad, which pointed out that, like cockroaches, Blockbuster Video would still be around long after the world has come to an end, has turned heads—not for its production value, but rather for its lack of polish and its cheesetastic ’80s synth pop.
The ad was aired live at halftime during the game, both online and at the store in Bend. And naturally, it’s also available for rental on VHS for $2 per day.
Buzz about the ad caused a spike in business for the store. General manager Sandi Harding told TMZ that online merchandise orders on Monday were twice that of the entire previous week. (Merchandise sales are a big part of the store’s business these days, as demand for DVDs and VHS tapes is not quite what it once was. And January is the slow season, with fewer tourists.)
The world’s last Blockbuster has had something of a pop culture resurgence in the last few years. It got its own craft beer in 2018. And Netflix released a sitcom about a fictional version of the store earlier this year (though it cancelled the show after one season).
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