CrowdStrike is returning to the Super Bowl for the second year in a row to bring its cyber security message to a mainstream audience.
This year’s :30 ad is a kind of futuristic Western in which CrowdStrike fights the adversary to secure the future of the digitally-connected world. “Cybersecurity can feel like the Wild West, so we wanted to put that future spin on it and that CrowdStrike is here to protect you into the future,” said Jess Meyers, VP of brand at CrowdStrike.
The idea for this year’s spot builds on the brand’s commercial from last year. In that ad, the brand told the story of ancient Troy, imagining what would have happened if CrowdStrike had been there (spoiler: the Trojan horse breach wouldn’t have happened).
“We introduced the concept of the ancient adversary,” explained Meyers. “This year, we wanted a creative concept that was still relatable. Cybersecurity is hard to explain to a broad audience, so we want to bring in things that people really understand. It’s the concept of good versus evil on the set of an old Western. People understand that face-off, they understand adversaries riding into town.”
Last year, the brand had success with the media buy. “From a brand standpoint, it was very positively received,” said Meyers. One of the biggest comments they heard in the industry was that the ad made cybersecurity relatable for the first time.
“We had this big tentpole moment last year from a brand awareness standpoint, brand perception, buying intent, decision-making, we saw just a huge impact from this advertising platform and we wanted to continue the story,” said Meyers. “It made sense for us to come back to the Super Bowl and to do another spot.”
