Ritz crackers is once again leaning on salty humor and big stars in a bid to garner attention during this year’s Super Bowl. The snack food has enlisted Scarlett Johansson, Jon Hamm and Bowen Yang (in his Super Bowl debut) to star in the spot, which will air in the 3rd quarter of the game.
It’s all part of what Steven Saenen, category president for savory snacking at Mondelēz international calls its “salty platform,” as it seeks to bolster the brand.
“It’s no secret that the big game is really where sports, culture, entertainment and, of course, food also, it all comes together,” Saenen tells The Hollywood Reporter in an interview, noting last year’s Super Bowl debut with Bad Bunny and Aubrey Plaza. “This year was all about doubling down on that. So we’re doubling down on the salty platform we’ve created, but want to make an even bigger splash with fresh, bold, new creative.”
That creative features Yang and Hamm playing two salty guys on a Ritz party island, angry that they were left out of the party (with Ritz crackers aplenty). Johansson shows up on a jet ski to coax them down to the party.
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“Bowen, Scarlett, and I go way back. We’ve been lucky enough to work together on a few projects over the years, and in the process, have built some great friendships both on and off set,” Hamm tells THR of working on the spot. “Getting to team up with them again has been a dream. They’re both sharp as a tack and bring this incredible energy to everything they do; it’s contagious. On set, the three of us got to riff, toss around our own style of humor, and take an already hilarious script to another level. The result is a perfectly salty commercial that I think people are really going to eat up – pun fully intended.”
“We had a number of criteria [when looking for talent],” Saenen says. “We wanted to have talent who are first of all, culturally super relevant, but who were also just creative powerhouses at the top of their game, and then ideally, also have great chemistry between them. Against those criteria, honestly, we could not dream up a better trio.”
“Collaborating with Ritz Crackers on this Big Game commercial was such a thrill,” adds Scarlett Johansson. “The Ritz brand is having a lot of fun leaning into its salty side, and energy of this spot totally reflects that. It’s bold, playful and a little unexpected, and I loved getting to jump in and bring that spirit to life with Jon and Bowen.”
Ultimately, the goal with the spot is to help reimagine the 90-year old cracker brand into something more … quirky.
“We’re on a journey to modernize the brand, and bringing a bit of a touch of fun and irreverence and humor is really important,” Saenen says. “Specifically, saltiness as a platform actually works very well for us on different levels. First of all, it’s an attribute, of course, it’s something that people just really love about the product, that great balance between salty and buttery flavor, and that’s where it all starts. But then it’s also an attitude, it brings a bit of an edge to the brand, which we really love. And then finally, it’s an aspiration, because we want to put the brand on the map, not just as the number one cracker, but as a major player in broader salty snacking.”
