After coming out of retirement last year after nearly a decade, E*Trade’s famed baby will once again make an appearance in Super Bowl 57.
The smart-talking tot is the best man—or rather, best baby?—at a wedding for another tiny couple in the financial services platform’s 30-second ad, produced by longtime agency MullenLowe and set to air during the first quarter.
The goal is to position the Morgan Stanley-owned website as the perfect financial partner for life’s biggest milestones, according to E*Trade CMO Andrea Zaretsky. The ad will kick off a campaign themed around similar important moments in the months to come, she said.
“We’re excited to have [the baby] continue to help consumers get off the bench and take charge of their financial lives,” Zaretsky told Adweek. “In this environment, now couldn’t be a better time for that message in terms of consumers and the economy.”
Zaretsky said the company was inspired to bring back the baby again by the positive response it received last year and the sustained interest in the campaign since it first debuted in 2008. Before last year, the baby’s last appearance in the Big Game was in 2014.
“[The baby is] very authentic to the E*Trade brand. We’ve always had an irreverent tone, and we’ve really focused on making sure that we tell truth,” Zaretsky said. “So we think the E*Trade baby is the perfect symbol for the brand and particularly in this market. He’s irreverent, he’s street-smart, an everyday hero.”
E*Trade, which was acquired by Morgan Stanley in 2020, has long been a staple of Super Bowl advertising, and Zaretsky doesn’t see that commitment changing anytime soon.
“We’re excited about it as a tentpole in our larger marketing efforts and strategy for this coming year,” Zaretsky said. “We’ve always traditionally had a sports audience. So for us, it continues to be very authentically right. And as we’ve grown our value proposition, it’s an even bigger opportunity to be in front of that mix.”
For the latest Super Bowl 57 advertising news—who’s in, who’s out, teasers, full ads and more—check out Adweek’s Super Bowl 2023 Ad Tracker and the rest of our stories here. And join us on the evening of Feb. 12 for the best in-game coverage of the commercials.
