VCU Brandcenter grads again play a high-profile role in the Super Bowl spectacle

By Drew Thompson

Every year, the TV viewership for the Super Bowl is massive, highly engaged and ready to cheer or boo every moment. And that’s just for the ads.

As Jodi Shelley, who has worked on more than a half-dozen Super Bowl spots for T-Mobile, said, the Super Bowl “hits different” for those in the advertising industry. Companies spend top dollar to be in front of an audience of more than 120 million, and they want the best and brightest in the ad field to deliver work that will shine on the grand stage. This year, 32 alumni of the Virginia Commonwealth University Brandcenter had the honor of seeing their efforts appear during the highly scrutinized breaks in the action of the game between the New England Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks.

Shelley, a 2000 graduate of the Brandcenter, worked with her team to enlist the help of the Backstreet Boys for this year’s T-Mobile ad, building on the company’s past experiences with the event.

“T-Mobile is a long-standing Super Bowl advertiser and what we have learned over time is the best success comes from being loose,” Shelley said. “T-Mobile has a reputation for leaning into music and big talent, so this just made sense.”

While Shelley makes her return to the Super Bowl, Lindsey Evans, art director at Wieden + Kennedy in New York, worked on her first ad for the big game with Michelob ULTRA.

“Getting put on a project this large was an extreme honor,” said Evans, a 2023 Brandcenter grad. “It was incredible to work with such a talented team to pull off a production of this caliber.”

The Michelob production features Kurt Russell teaching fellow movie star Lewis Pullman how to ski.

“‘The Instructor’ combines two of the biggest cultural moments of the year in America – the Super Bowl and the Olympic Winter Games,” Evans said. “Joseph Kosinski, ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ and ‘F1’ filmmaker, directed the spot and made it feel epic and cinematic.”

Meanwhile, Brandcenter alumni Meranne and Luke Behrends, co-founders of the agency Words from the Woods, take viewers to Maine to witness a contractor’s ideal morning in “Morning Calm,” for Hancock Lumber. The spot follows a contractor driving through snowy serene back roads and ocean views at ease because their lumber order is being handled with precision by Hancock Lumber.

“When products and pricing are near identical to your competitors, it comes down to customer experience. We wanted to tap into a moment that expressed that feeling,” Meranne said. “We knew that what matters most to contractors is reliability, transparency and ease.”

Elizabeth Daniel and four fellow Brandcenter alumni worked on the Martin Agency’s ad for RITZ crackers this year. The ad stars actress Scarlett Johansson and comedian Bowen Yang and follows a party on “RITZ Island.” Two people look on, lamenting how they were not invited because of their “saltiness.” However, they eventually get to join the fun.

While some of the ads focus on the humor and whimsy that the Super Bowl is known for, others took a more emotional approach. Sam Dolphin, freelance creative director for Mirimar, worked as one of the minds behind Rocket and Redfin’s ad, which puts a modern twist on the popular song “Won’t You be My Neighbor” to highlight that only 25% of neighbors know one another.

The ad is meant to underline the message that Rocket and Redfin coming together makes it easier to balance mortgage rates, allowing people from all economic backgrounds to become new neighbors, Dolphin said.

“This Super Bowl, we created an ad that's asking Americans to be kind to their neighbors,” he said. “We wanted to create work that might actually get people to think differently. I live in Minneapolis, where every single one of my neighbors is rallying to help our immigrant neighbors right now. This song feels like a rallying cry that taps into the zeitgeist of everything that's happening around the country. “Nobody has cared for our well-being as much as Fred Rogers did … and we can deliver that timely message again” with the help of Lady Gaga, who sings the iconic song in the ad. “We live in an era where kindness and neighborliness are in short supply. So it was great to make something that asks people to show up and look out for our neighbors.” 

Below is a look at the Brandcenter alumni with ads during last night’s game.

Apple Music

Chris Trumbull (copywriting, 2010)

Apple

Bosch

Chris Colliton (experiential design, 2012)

Andrew Quay (experiential design, 2012)

Droga5

Cadillac Formula One

Zach Brown (creative brand management, 2019)

Translation LLC

Discover Puerto Rico

Adam Aceino (copywriting, 2011)

R&R

Fan Duel

Craig Gerringer (copywriting, 2012)

Andy Grayson (strategy, 2004)

Jon Hirsch (art direction, 2016)

Charles Hodges (copywriting, 2009)

Zak Milner (copywriting, 2013)

Cody Pate (art direction, 2013)

Arts & Letters Creative Co.

Google Gemini

Tristan Smith (copywriting, 2009)

Josh Rosen (art direction, 2002)

Google Creative Lab

Hancock Lumber 

Meranne Behrends (strategy, 2007)

Luke Behrends (copywriting, 2007)

Words From The Woods

Life360

Tom Naughton (strategy, 2006)

Alto NYC

Liquid IV

Hannah Barr (strategy, 2019)

Anomaly LA

Michelob ULTRA

Lindsey Evans (art direction, 2023)

Wieden + Kennedy NY

Oakley Meta Glasses

Dinma Onyekwere (creative brand management, 2021)

Alex Ward (art direction, 2025)

Boyan Zlatarski (art direction, 2025)

Mother LA

Ritz crackers - TV

Morgan Aceino (creative brand management, 2011)

Elizabeth Daniel (copywriting, 2015)

Troy Fultz (creative brand management, 2024)

Ed Keithly (strategy, 2024)

Blair Seward (art direction, 2015)

The Martin Agency

Ritz crackers - social

Celeste Chance (copywriting, 2024)

Zey Masunu (art direction, 2022)

The Martin Agency

Rocket/ Redfin

Sam Dolphin (copywriting, 2011)

MIRIMAR LA

Starbucks

Cat Clark (art direction, 2024)

Anomaly LA

T-Mobile

Jodi Shelley (strategy, 2000)

T-Mobile Marketing

United Airlines

Amy Matheu (art direction, 2012)

72andSunny LA