Blockbuster Video’s making people be kind and rewind once again — the company ran a new ad on Super Bowl Sunday that resulted in a massive spike in sales, and it didn’t cost ’em an arm and a leg.
Sandi Harding, General Manager of the last remaining Blockbuster in Bend, OR, tells TMZ … on Monday morning they saw twice the number of online merch orders than all of last week combined — which she directly credits to their Sunday night ad.
While “Blockbuster” may be a recognizable brand, the video store operates just like a mom-and-pop, and the majority of their sales are driven from merch — stuff like trucker hats and sweatpants.
The surge in sales is huge for the biz … we’re told it’s a slow time of year for the store, as summer’s when they rely on tourists to check out their store and buy merch. Customers can still rent DVDs like old times — but they’re obviously not selling like the good ol’ days.
For those who missed it, the retro ad kept things funny while promoting the store — joking the last Blockbuster will survive even an apocalypse.
The average cost for a 30-second spot on the Super Bowl broadcast on Fox was about $7 million this year — so, wisely, Blockbuster opted instead to drop its ad on social media during halftime. Sandi says they had a slim production budget and got help from an NYC ad agency that donated time and resources to make it happen.
She tells us the ad was made to show how a small business like hers can make something fun and boost sales during the Super Bowl, just like big corporations … and without the big price tag.