Genesis is pulling out all the stops for the marketing debut of its GV80 crossover, enlisting power couple John Legend and Chrissy Teigen to throw a symbolic going-away party for “old luxury,” and coming out party for the brand’s “young luxury” aesthetic, in its first-ever Super Bowl ad.
“When we think about John and Chrissy, they’re approachable, they’re fun, they’re young luxury,” Mark Del Rosso, CEO of Genesis North America, told Automotive News this week. “America and the world can relate to Chrissy and John.”
Legend, 41, is a singer and songwriter who was named People magazine’s “Sexiest Man Alive” in November. Teigen, 34, is a TV personality and author of two cookbooks. The couple, who are active on social media and have nearly 40 million Instagram followers between them, have two small children and live in Beverly Hills, Calif.
The “spokescouple” appear in two teaser clips for the humorous Super Bowl campaign, which juxtaposes their modern style and unpretentious attitude with a party full of rich people in an ornate mansion.
In one teaser, Legend and Teigen stand in front of an elaborate, pyramid-like oyster bar when the entire thing comes crashing down after they each grab one to eat. The party-goers turn towards them with disapproving faces, and Teigen blurts out: “That was not me. That was John Legend. Singer. Not me, some random girl. That was John Legend.”
In another, an older couple shows them a large sculpture made of ice “brought in from the Arctic.” Teigen reaches into her small handbag and says: “Well, I had these crackers brought in from my purse. So, whoop-dee-do.” The teaser ends with the tagline: “Old luxury gets a wake up call. Tune in Sunday, Feb. 2nd.”
The teasers are a warm-up to the 60-second Super Bowl spot featuring the GV80, a midsize crossover that Genesis describes as elegant on the outside and minimalistic on the inside — in contrast to some of its more overwrought competitors.
Bob Rayburn, executive creative director for Hyundai’s Innocean ad agency, said Legend and Teigen are able to draw viewers into their relationship dynamic, which often involves teasing each other in real life. “One of the greatest things about using a couple, you’re not focusing on that one lone-wolf spokesman. You’re focusing on the reality of a relationship,” he said in an interview.