U.S. Bank on Wednesday detailed its partnership with “Happy Gilmore 2,” the sequel to Adam Sandler’s 1996 hit comedy, per information shared with Marketing Dive. The bank will be integrated into the film, which debuts July 25 on Netflix, as a top sponsor of the fictional “Tour Championship,” with its logo appearing on the bib of the titular character’s caddy.
In addition, the bank will shake free of the typically sober and serious tone used to market financial institutions in a co-marketing campaign with Netflix. A 30-second “Happy As Usual” spot reveals a golf commentary desk manned by legendary announcer Verne Lundquist inside a U.S. Bank branch. Lundquist comments on the action as customers accrue rewards and pro golfer (and U.S. Bank brand ambassador) Collin Morikawa deposits an oversized million-dollar check.
The ad was made in collaboration with the streamer, production company Happy Madison and agency Barkley, and was directed by Sandler collaborator Frank Coraci (“The Waterboy,” “The Wedding Singer”). The campaign also includes social videos featuring Morikawa.
For Michael Lacorazza, who joined U.S. Bank as CMO less than two years ago, the collaboration is an example of how the institution has been reevaluating its brand positioning, go-to-market strategy and the impact of its investments.
“One of the areas that the team has been leaning into is finding these moments of culture that we can invest and lean into,” said Lacorazza.
Stretching boundaries, reaching audiences
A conversation about possible brand integrations in “Happy Gilmore 2” netted not only the fictional tour sponsorship, but also the creation of a TV spot that shares a creative team with previous Sandler projects, giving the ad a similar (if G-rated) sense of humor to the film.
“We stretch the boundaries of the use of humor for our brand,” Lacorazza said. “We’re typically more sober — we’re talking about managing people’s money and giving advice — so we can only go to market in a more serious capacity, but given the context of the film, it was a great opportunity to have some fun with it.”
The ad is part of a national campaign that will run within the bank’s existing media buy across linear TV (including NBC and ESPN) and digital channels like Meta, YouTube, Snapchat and IMDb. It will also appear on Netflix’s ad-supported plan, putting U.S. Bank even closer to cultural content. U.S. Bank hopes that the content and media strategy of its collaboration will help it reach young and midlife affluent audiences.
“One of the amazing things that we expect, with respect to this film, is that it will [have] multigenerational appeal,” said Lacorazza. “This investment is designed to lean in more so to younger audiences as the future and the life blood of our franchise going forward. But we get the benefit of bringing everybody along for the ride.”
U.S. Bank’s collaboration around “Happy Gilmore 2” comes as Netflix continues to grow its share of streaming and overall TV consumption. The platform saw a 13.5% viewing increase in June and now commands 8.3% of all TV viewing, per Nielsen’s most recent The Gauge report. The film’s other brand partners include golf brand Callaway and restaurant chain Subway, which is selling a limited-edition Happy Gilmore Meal.
