Small Businesses Compete for $5 Million Super Bowl Commercial Spot
Intuit is giving one lucky company the opportunity to take its business to the next level. The software firm is offering small businesses a chance to play alongside big company players such as Doritos and Coca-Cola. And what could be better than presenting your own ad during the biggest televised event of the year in front of 114 million excited eyes? To some, the creative Super Bowl ads are worth watching the big game for. This type of exposure is priceless!
For the second time, Intuit is hosting its “Small Business Big Game” contest where small companies vie for the coveted commercial spot which will air during the 2016 Super Bowl 50 on February 7. A 30 second Super Bowl ad can run you a whopping $5 million, which goes to show how remarkable and generous of a company Intuit is.
The contest began on the first of June with four rounds of voting. For the last round, the winner will be chosen by the public. To be able to enter, small companies are required to submit their business stories and why they should be chosen to be broadcasted during the most viewed televised event of the year.
In the inaugural 2013 contest year, California-based toy maker company GoldieBlox, beat out over 15,000 applicants and became the first small business to ever have a commercial during the Super Bowl (click here to view the winning commercial). GoldieBlox, who produces toys for girls to empower them to further their education in fields like math and engineering, had tens of thousands of visitors to its website shortly after its commercial aired. Since winning the Intuit contest, the company has proved to be very successful: racking up sales, doubling its staff, and even procuring a second factory.
Click here to check out this video to hear these contestants share inspiring stories about their businesses.
The top 10 finalists of this year’s contest were invited to attend the QuickBooks Connect Conference in San Jose, California to listen to successful businessmen and women such as Oprah Winfrey, Bill Rancic, and Jessica Alba speak. At the conference, finalists were narrowed down to the Final 3: Chubbies Shorts, Vidler’s 5 & 10, and Death Wish Coffee.
Read below to find out why these contenders stand out from the rest.
Chubbies Shorts
Launched in 2012 by four Stanford grads, Chubbies Shorts has been successful in jump starting a new revolution — a shorts revolution. The S.F. based company’s motto is to love one’s thighs and to do so means donning a pair of short shorts. Say no more to those restricting pantaloons! The online retailer’s objective is to promote and produce comfortable, yet equally stylish above the knee shorts. Its nationalistic dedication to American manufacturing and support of the Armed Forces adds to its popularity. Even former President George Bush is a fan of Chubbies! You’re welcome, thighs.
Vidler’s 5 & 10
The New York based business has been owned and operated by the same family for over 85 years. Walk into this historic variety store that sells over 75,000 unique items and I guarantee that you will spend hours playing with every sort of knick knack you come across. They don’t call Vidler’s 5 & 10 the world’s largest five and ten store for nothing!
Death Wish Coffee
World’s strongest coffee? Enough said! If there’s any indication to how powerful the Death Wish Coffee is, just know that their name and logo emphasizes death. Instead of using the commercial arabica coffee bean, business owner Michael Brown opted for the more potent robusta bean, claiming this will increase the caffeine by 200 percent. That should be more than plenty to keep one focused and productive on Monday mornings after a long weekend. Caffeinate with caution, my friends.
Who do you think will win the coveted prize this year? Let us know which one is your favorite below. Good luck to all 3 finalists! #TeamSmallBiz
