SimpliSafe is running a Super Bowl ad for its DIY home security kit
This Sunday, the Boston-based startup will air the first Super Bowl ad for a home security company, ever.
- 10 years product testing experience with the CNET Home team
Last year, while he and the rest of the New England Patriots were busy in Minnesota losing Super Bowl LII to the Philadelphia Eagles, NFL superstar tight end Rob Gronkowski was the victim of a home robbery. Ouch.
SimpliSafe's DIY home security system is Super Bowl-bound. Watch for an ad at the end of the first quarter.
One year later, Gronk and the Pats are set to make their third consecutive Super Bowl appearance when they square off against the Los Angeles Rams in Atlanta this Sunday -- and the Boston-based home security startup SimpliSafe thinks the time is right to run its first-ever Super Bowl ad. In fact, the company claims it's the first Super Bowl ad for the home security category, ever (which appears to be true so long as you don't count bullet-proof padlocks).
An Editors' Choice-winner here on CNET, SimpliSafe is a home security system that combines professional monitoring with do-it-yourself installation and setup. The brand has seen significant growth over the past few years, including a 2018 investment valued at $1 billion from the private equity firm Hellman & Friedman. It also advertises heavily, with a recent focus on TV ads and podcast sponsorships.
In what will be SimpliSafe's highest profile ad yet, the 30-second spot is slated to premiere at the end of the Super Bowl's first quarter. SimpliSafe isn't sharing any details about what to expect from it, but the company's Creative Director, Wade Devers, hints that he hopes the ad will upend people's expectations about the home security space.
"We're trying different things," he says. "We want to tap into a feeling and surprise people."
"Currently, only 20 percent of homes in the US have home security," SimpliSafe Chief Marketing Officer Melina Engel adds. "That's something we're on a mission to fix."
More Super Bowl
- Best Super Bowl 2019 commercials ranked: Harrison Ford, The Dude, the Backstreet Boys and more
- Avengers, Captain Marvel, Twilight Zone: All the must-see Super Bowl 2019 trailers
- Super Bowl 2019: New Avengers: Endgame trailer shows heroes at their best
- Super Bowl 2019 commercials: Watch them all here
- Super Bowl 2019 memes: Game of Thrones, SpongeBob, Adam Levine's nipples
- SpongeBob SquarePants barely shows up at Super Bowl 2019 halftime show
- See all of our Super Bowl coverage
That mission won't come cheap -- in 2019, 30 seconds' worth of airtime during the Super Bowl is estimated to cost brands between $5.1 and $5.3 million dollars.
Super Bowl LIII airs this Sunday, Feb. 3 at 6:30 p.m. ET on CBS (please note that CBS is CNET's parent company).
Best Super Bowl TV deals: Buying a new TV for the big game? These are your best choices
How to watch the Super Bowl: Watch the game in the US for free, on TV or online