84 Lumber ‘Immigration’ Super Bowl Commercial: “The Journey Begins”
84 Lumber’s seemingly pro-immigration Super Bowl commercial serves the dual purpose of recruiting staff for the company’s anticipated expansion.
Script
The 90-second ($15 million) Super Bowl commercial follows the precarious immigration journey of a Mexican mother and daughter seeking a better life.
The original edit of the commercial, which showed a border wall, was deemed by Fox to be too political to be shown during the Super Bowl.
So, to get Fox’s approval for airing, the 84 Lumber commercial was re-edited without the border wall imagery. Instead, viewers were invited to: “See the conclusion at Journey84.com.”
Year
2017Related Materials
84 Lumber Super Bowl Ad: The Entire Journey
The extended version, as shown at Journey84.com:
Media Reaction
84 Lumber was mentioned frequently in media coverage of polarizing, ideological ads shown during the 2017 Super Bowl.
Ad Goal: Recruiting?
With 250 locations in 30 states, 84 Lumber sells building materials to the construction industry. 84 Lumber employs 5,100 people and has expansion goals to to add 400 more staff.
84 Lumber says that its Super Bowl commercial is intended to be part of a year-long recruiting campaign.
Ad Age quotes Maggie Hardy Magerko, owner of 84 Lumber, as saying: “We need to hire and train people differently. We need to cast a wider net, and to let the world know that 84 Lumber is a place for people who don’t always fit nicely into a box. We want people interested in creating their own path.”
In fact, recruiting is emphasized at Journey84.com
Note: Maggie Hardy Magerko says she voted for President Trump and supports his plan to build a border wall.