Martin Scorsese’s debut as an ad director is – fittingly for a man whose films have won 20 Oscars – appearing during the Super Bowl. The man himself turns up for a cameo at the end, ensuring that website builder Squarespace gets its money’s worth.
The in-house film shows a human race so glued to its phones that it’s oblivious to a mass alien visitation. Only when the frustrated aliens hack all the phones with a “hello down there” message do people take any notice.
The 81 year-old film director of films including Killers of the Flower Moon (nominated for 10 Oscars next month), Wolf of Wall Street, GoodFellas, and Taxi Driver, has branched out into TV and music videos in the past, and even appeared in a Coca-Cola Super Bowl spot in 2020.
Scorsese’s statement says: “At my age, it’s a stretch finding a directorial debut. When Squarespace first approached me to create a spot, I thought this was my shot… I’m a New Yorker, we’re busy, always on the move. Would we even notice extra-terrestrials living among us?”
This is Squarespace’s 10th Super Bowl ad, so you would hope they know what they are doing. Scorsese’s film is visually engaging and does at least correspond to the brand’s line, “A website makes it real.”
MAA creative scale: 7
