Dolly Parton for SquareSpace at the Super Bowl

In the reactions to the Super Bowl commercial set this year, there were of course the annual lists of winners and losers. I honestly don’t pay much attention to the loser list, because I honestly prefer celebrating the craft so I focus on the ones that resonate the most. My post yesterday did just that … I picked my top 5 picks: M&Ms, Bud Light Seltzer Lemonade, Indeed, Toyota, and Jeep.

But I did notice that lots of folks put the SquareSpace spot featuring Dolly Parton on their “missed the mark” list in one way or another. I’ll admit that I originally cringed just a bit, mostly because I’m a huge Dolly fan. I mean, I picked her in 2020 as the brand of the year … I think a lot of people had trouble with the remake of the song and trouble with the notion of working essentially 24/7. Especially right now.

At first blush, it didn’t resonate.

The next morning, however, I had an email from SquareSpace introducing the campaign with extended content from Dolly herself, talking about her experiences as an entrepreneur. And her ability to constantly find new “side gigs” at age 75.

That made me sit up. I read through the Q&A and felt inspired. It’s all about “turning your passion into a profession.” OK got it. So I watched the video again with a new appreciation for it.

When you pay attention to the lyrics, it all starts to make sense. I think it’s just one of those campaigns that you have to dig into in order to understand. First blush might not resonate, but further examination becomes quite inspirational. With a write/singer/spokesperson who serves as proof of concept.

Now in my “well done” category. Give it another look!

What’s your experience? JIM