Thirty years later, “9 to 5” is perfect again. On the week of Jeff’s bye-bye and Kamala’s first big tie break, it’s clear that everyone needs a champion of workers’ rights as much as we need a good bop. But sometimes history messes with perfection, and this week, your favorite pro-union anthem is selling out to Squarespace. During the Super Bowl this weekend, you’ll hear “5 to 9,” a bizarro encouragement to work during your off hours. The concept: your job sucks, so juice your side hustle with Squarespace. The subtext: capitalism has won so please find a way to monetize every moment of your life, thanks. Find the (s)ad here. Once you’re done crying, go back to the original.
Unless you’re there to see Tom Brady in a new outfit (SOME OF US ARE), you may be disappointed by the big game cause a bunch of advertisers have pulled their programming. Coke and Pepsi are both out because they can’t figure out how to do a Covid-year ad that doesn’t come off as insensitive. Other brands are at least getting creative. While Budweiser won’t be there, they are loudly diverting their funds to vaccine awareness (they’re GOOD, see?). Planters is divvying their $5 million ad budget into grants for people giving back to their communities in these unprecedented times— and making sure we all know about it via an aggressive social campaign. So actually, there are still plenty of Super Bowl ads. They just won’t be airing at the Super Bowl.
In the absence of the standard players, you will see some fresh faces during the game, including Robinhood, everyone’s favorite* investing app for the people.** Clearly the spot was shot before the debacle, but that’s not really an excuse for not pulling it in light of disaster. But I guess what are ads for, if not convincing people to hate you less?
*formerly ok and now deeply detested in the wake of, you know, GameStop
**who don’t use Reddit. Or Robinhood.
When you tune in, make sure to salute Sarah Thomas, the first-ever woman to officiate a Super Bowl game. She’ll be cheered on in person by 7,500 vaccinated healthcare workers who will heartwarmingly make up 1/3 of the game’s live audience. Now do you feel better about all the concussions?
