Kawasaki knows a thing or two about mixing work and play, and the hairstyle and star power the brand’s unveiling in its Super Bowl 58 commercial proves it.
It’s an inaugural appearance on advertising’s biggest stage for the company, which joins several first-time brands in the national lineup. And while that distinction can often entail recollections of production woes and unknowns, the Super Bowl campaign for the all-new Kawasaki Ridge, which is part of a skyrocketing side-by-side vehicle industry, flips that script.
Instead, it’s a story filled with full-circle nostalgia, a perfect location, product knowledge, and yes, Steve Austin rocking a mullet—which is also fashionably adorned by a tortoise, a bear, a dog, and a not-so-Bald Eagle.
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The origin — “Close your eyes. What stuck out? What do I immediately remember?”
The type of growth with side-by-side vehicles progressing to a broader audience got the proverbial wheels spinning at Kawasaki, with the think tank for the Ridge creative focusing on a specific date on the calendar, where a game that draws in over 100 million viewers awaited.
“Everyone knows the Super Bowl gives you that mass reach,” said Bob O’Brien, Director of Marketing at Kawasaki. “And that is what we need to reach outside of our community. To bring a new product to market that has mass appeal outside of utility use or even heavy-sports use as quickly as possible.”
O’Brien was part of the trio who spoke with USA TODAY Ad Meter about the brand’s leap into the Big Game, a significant advertising decision that wasn’t a last-minute effort by any means.
“They knew what they wanted a long time ago, which is great,” explained A.J. Warren, Creative Director at Goodby Silverstein & Partners. “They had their sights set on the Super Bowl and I think that’s why they included GS&P in the process.”
Big picture, it was a smart path to take. As Super Bowl advertising goes, looking to an agency like GS&P to help build the campaign is arguably like asking Tom Brady to teach you to throw a football. They have multiple commercials in the 2024 Big Game lineup and a trove of successful past spots. And to know of Jeff Goodby’s reputation is to simply say, “Got Milk?” and the rest speaks for itself.
So, not surprisingly, it was a Goodby-ism that transformed the “30 concepts that were seriously considered” for highlighting the Ridge’s mix of work and play into one classic piece of Americana.
“It’s all about ‘Remember what you remember,'” said Warren of Goodby’s process. “You see a bunch of different scripts, a bunch of different concepts, close your eyes, don’t look at your notes, and just think: What stuck out? What do I immediately remember?”
The answer for the Kawasaki Ridge campaign?
Mullets.
Enter a Brand Ambassador who needs little introduction (Or: Thank you, Mrs. Austin)
Steve Austin has the type of persona that somehow makes a casual Zoom call feel like a 3-D experience. Alongside O’Brien, he sat with a casual chill tucked behind a herculean physique to talk about his role in the commercial.
The wrestling legend has worked with Kawasaki since 2015, though Austin’s admiration for the brand goes well beyond the collaboration and partnership.
His first dirtbike was a 1976 Kawasaki KE100 (that was missing second gear) that he “saw in a guy’s garage” and purchased for $100. Then, in 1998, he bought his first side-by-side vehicle, a Kawasaki Mule.
“It’s like family,” said Austin.
And that longtime respect and, more importantly, use of the Kawasaki brand places him at the forefront of an advertising sweet spot.
“For this audience,” noted Warren, “credibility, authenticity, is super important. You want to know that the celebrity endorsing the product really uses them.”
O’Brien echoed the same thoughts when looking ahead and back on a relationship that began over nine years ago: “This is why we’re working with Steve. Who else would you plug in for that? This concept with this product and our Brand Ambassador—it’s a perfect mix.”
But that perfect casting still required a yes or no from Austin, who got a call from his agent about the 2024 Ridge creative with a simple note: “You’re either going to love it, or you’re going to hate it.”
For Austin, the first impression was as positive as it was unmistakably Steve Austin. “I laughed my [butt] off!”
But there was another person in the household who would be “the barometer.”
“I showed it to my wife,” he continued, “and she goes, ‘Oh, you’ve got to do it!'”
The Shoot — Vancouver has a ‘Field of Dreams’ … for filming Kawasaki Ridge commercials
With Austin on board, the next steps on the production timeline were to head to Vancouver, B.C., where the shoot would take place on a ranch over two days.
It brought back some nostalgia for Austin, who recalled filming “a low-budget movie years ago in Vancouver,” and it also presented some luck in the grand scheme of capturing the Ridge in all its fast-paced glory.
“It was shot on a ranch that’s owned by a former stuntman,” said Warren. “So some of the “movie magic” was already in place for the team. There were trails for the Ridge to whip around, and there was a separate track already there for the camera car.”
Even the weather hit its mark, with a storm system arriving that helped set the tone of the commercial.
So, with luck on the their side, the only thing left to get into the frame was the classic 80s hairstyle that has since encountered a popularity surge.
“When I saw Steve with the mullet on for the first time,” O’Brien begins with a smile, “he looked at me, and I said, Well, what do you think, Steve?”
“I look 30 years younger!” a mullet-clad Austin replied.
“I didn’t get the lifetime guarantee,” Austin continued while reminiscing about a hairline that he said started to waive adios when he was 25. “But for me to be in an amazing commercial, to be aired on the Super Bowl, promoting a product and brand that I love with me rocking a mullet? Two thumbs up!”
The Reveal — Lights…camera….mullet…action!
We wrapped our conversation with a bit of interesting reflection. It has been 25 years since Steve Austin appeared in a national Super Bowl spot, which is as much of a testament to his star power as his hard work.
And while the professional wrestling accolades have shaped so much of Austin’s career, his face lights up with undeniable pride when talking about winning Rookie of the Year and third overall—”at 58 years of age”—in the Valley Off Road Racing Association (VORRA), where he races a Kawasaki Teryx KRX.
“I retired from a business that got too rough for me,” he explained. “But I’m very competitive, so now I’m in a sport where not only can I go out and have fun and satisfy my competitive urge, but I get to do it in a brand that I love and represent.
“And to still be around, kicking, and repping Kawasaki 25 years later? Man, I feel like I’m on top of the world.”
Like the messaging behind the Kawasaki Ridge, he ended the thought with another perfect combination: “It’s a win-win for me.”
Get a First Look at the Kawasaki Super Bowl 58 Commercial below:
