How often are you watching a show or movie on your TV, only to have the menu for your streaming service pop up, as someone abruptly changes the channel?
If you have kids in the house, the answer is probably “all the time!”
Your little ones are probably quite fond of grabbing the remote during the biggest moments of an important game and switching over to Netflix for some Paw Patrol. I’ve even had my dog mistakenly stand on the remote and switch the channel!
During a hilarious Super Bowl ad, the streaming service Tubi took advantage of this and created a hilarious prank ad.
Tubi’s ad appears to show commentators talking about the game. As they speak, a fake menu pops up, as if someone has opened the menu on a smart TV or Roku. The icons for several streaming services are visible.
With realistic sounds added in, the pretend menu scrolls to the Tubi app, and then selects the movie Mr. and Mrs. Smith. At the end of the ad, a Tubi logo fills the screen, cluing viewers into the fact that this is a prank.
Many viewers were apparently tricked. One wrote on YouTube “This literally had the whole room I was in screaming, “WOAH WOAH WOAH!!! WHO HAS THE REMOTE???” Truly the most creative and one hell of a way to get people laughing.”
Why the Ad is Brilliant
In addition to being hilarious, Tubi’s SuperBowl ad is brilliant because it subtly shows viewers how they could potentially pull up Tubi and stream a movie.
Many viewers may not be aware of the streaming app. But after seeing the ad, they’ll know exactly where to find Tubi on their smart TV. The inclusion of a real (and popular) movie subtly shows the viewer the kind of content they can expect to find on Tubi.
Of course, the fact that the ad makes viewers laugh helps a lot, too. Funny ads like this one can cut above the noise, making people stop to think about what a brand has to offer.
