Nintendo is celebrating Pokémon’s 20th birthday with a no expense-spared celebration during the Super Bowl.
Today, the nostalgia-fueled brand that’s sure to excited any millennial, released an extended version of its 30-second ad that will air during the third quarter of the Feb. 7 game.
Packed with Pokémon characters, the commercial is marketed as a celebration of its “millions” of fans and explores the “ambition, drive, and training, concepts that every Pokémon Trainer is familiar with,” reads a release. The spot ends in a futuristic, computer generated stadium and has all the over-the-top grandeur of a Nike ad.
The ad was created by Omelet, a Los Angeles-based creative agency that has also created campaigns for Microsoft, Amazon and HBO. Pokémon is using it to kick off its milestone year with a #Pokemon20 campaign online, including a special website, re-releases of classic games and the release of a new game next month.
At 20, Pokémon may be aging, but it still resonates: The video has already racked up 60,000 views — and is gaining more by the minute — and the hashtag is being used by fans excited by the ad. “The #Pokemon20 ad gave me chills… and strength and motivation !!,” reads one typical tweet.
More in Marketing
How the MAHA movement influenced food and beverage brands in 2025
The MAHA movement has come to stand for different things in different people’s eyes, depending on which initiatives they most closely follow.
Why Georgia-Pacific is turning its programmatic scrutinty to the sell side
The company is turning its attention to the sell side, zeroing in on the ad tech firms that move inventory for publishers — the supply-side platforms.
Future of Marketing Briefing: Why ‘just good enough’ is generative AI’s real threat to marketers
When characters and mascots are allowed to live inside generative systems, they stop being event-based and start becoming environmental.