The agency behind a previous viral and controversial Super Bowl ad returns to the big game with a new spot and familiar mission: to “invite all people one step closer to the authentic Jesus from wherever they are.”
Come Near, the organization responsible for the “He Gets Us” campaign, will air a new advertisement during Sunday’s game between the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots.
The video, titled “Is there more to life than more?” and directed by filmmaker Salomon Ligthelm, “invites people to rethink what Jesus says about societal pressure, doubt, and fulfillment,” according to a release shared with FOX Business.
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Simon Armour, Come Near’s chief creative officer, says the group emphasizes a “neighbor-led” approach, which inspired the themes for this project.
“One of the things that kept coming up was this feeling of people just having a lot of noise in their life and being able to find peace [amongst] that noise, which is proving very difficult for them,” Armour told FOX Business.
After extensive research, Come Near designed the “Loaded Words” campaign, which looks at words in culture that “have a promise to them,” Armour said.
The spot features various shots of people scrolling through social media, a child sitting with an abundance of toys, students in a classroom using what appears to be virtual reality headsets, and a plastic surgeon examining a man’s face.
The shots are featured in a fast-paced sequence, until the ad’s final shot, which features a woman in the desert who appears to be looking at the sky.
“There’s more to life than more,” the on-screen text concludes.
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Armour said the spot looks at the “absurdity” of chasing materialistic things such as money, but also things such as influence and recognition. He said the video attempts to “hold up a mirror.”
“Really, that’s our hope in the spot is that [viewers] feel seen and heard, that it is a reflection of where they’re at and what they’re doing,” Armour said. “Jesus never leaves us in the place that he finds us. He offers something more beyond that.”
The ad will air nationwide in the second half of the game, according to the release. The group utilizes what Armour described as a “tent pole strategy.”
“We look at moments in culture where people are really gathering around … the Super Bowl represents another one of those moments where people are really coming together,” Armour said. “I think [it is] a good opportunity for us to again invite people to consider Jesus’ perspective on things that our neighbor is telling us they’re struggling with in their own lives.”
Come Near had an ad played during the Super Bowl in 2024, which was met with backlash on social media from both the right and left.
In response, Armour said Come Near’s previous work was “recognized for commenting on culture,” but this year, the group wanted to “turn that reflection inward.”
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“I think there’s been a natural evolution of the work,” he said. “After four years, campaigns obviously just naturally evolve to stay fresh and still get people’s attention … We didn’t go to that place of being more personal again, because we thought it was a good idea, it was really based on what our neighbor is telling us.”
Come Near has two other ads that will air in various regional markets, including Portland, Oregon, San Francisco, Denver, Wichita, Kansas, Kansas City and Oklahoma City.
“He Gets Us” is a campaign that “invites all people to consider Jesus and why he matters,” which started in 2021.
The campaign “has brought Jesus into some of culture’s biggest spaces and conversations,” according to its website, and videos on its YouTube channel have amassed 10 million views, a spokesperson said.
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Armour said he hopes that the latest video will help people “take a step” towards Jesus.
“We really judge success based on the pursuit of our mission,” he said. “There’s many ways in which we measure that idea of one step … our hope really is that whatever that looks like for them, that they do take a step towards Jesus.”
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