In the fast-paced world of advertising, timing is everything—especially when the task is to produce a Super Bowl ad in record time. That’s exactly what we faced with our long-time client, Tonna Mechanical. Our ads about their HVAC and plumbing services normally tend to be pretty witty and irreverent.
This time, however, we had a novel idea: an ad about furnaces. With their bear mascot.
And he’s figure skating.
The Concept.
The pitch was simple. We envisioned Tonna’s bear mascot performing a flawless figure skating routine in an ice rink. No jokes this time; just pure elegance, skill, and grace. The idea was not only to catch the audience’s attention but also to communicate Tonna’s competence and expertise in the HVAC field. And we thought, what better way to show it than as a Super Bowl ad!
The Challenge.
The timeline, however, was a daunting one. With only 17 days until the Super Bowl, the pressure was on from the start. However, the actual time crunch was even more severe—the station required the ad well before the game.
So we didn’t have 17 days to prepare for, shoot, edit, and get approval for this ad.
We had seven.
Casting and Location.
Our first step was to coordinate the logistics of filming. This entire idea hinged on a connection we had with a professional skater who used to skate with Disney on Ice, so he’s used to performing in elaborate costumes. We called him as soon as we got the green light from Tonna, and luckily, he was available the following week. We quickly booked a local ice rink that could accommodate our tight schedule, and the race was on to get everything ready in time for shoot day.
Scouting and Lighting.
We prioritized scouting the venue a day in advance to plan the setup, especially the lighting, which was important to make sure that we would be able to light up what we needed. Determining how to light the rink effectively with our resources was a challenge given the constraints.
Filming.
Since our Director of Photography, Kyle, can’t skate, we had another challenge: filming a fast-moving skater on the ice. Fortunately, one of the Hit Crew, Luke, was an experienced skater and was more than happy to take on the task of filming while skating. This approach, along with strategic placements of additional cameras and lights around the rink, allowed us to capture some really dynamic angles and is one of the key things that made this shoot work in the way we wanted to pull it off.
Editing.
Editing began immediately after we wrapped up shooting. We had a first draft ready and to the client by the next day and, by Thursday—exactly one week after our initial client call—we delivered the final Super Bowl ad to the TV station.
Creativity Under Pressure.
This whirlwind week was a testament to our team’s creativity and ability to perform under pressure and an opportunity to showcase our client on one of the biggest stages in advertising. If you ever find yourself in need of a quick turnaround on a creative project, remember—nothing is impossible with the right team and a bit of ingenuity.
And if your ad involves a mascot and a winter sport, even better.
