Why did Kent State air last years Super Bowl commercial? from KentWired.com on Vimeo.

A Kent State commercial aired during the Super Bowl, but it wasn’t the one everyone expected.

A miscommunication led to an older commercial being played instead of a new ad the university planned to debut during the big game.

“The new spot was uploaded correctly but there was some miscommunication with the playback schedule and our previous spot aired,” wrote Eric Mansfield, Kent State’s executive director of university media relations, in an email.

The new commercial, called “The Purpose that Drives You,” was promoted by the university’s social media accounts and uploaded to its YouTube channel Friday. The 30-second commercial was created internally by University Communications and Marketing and portrays Kent State students achieving success inside and outside the classroom. Kent State paid $52,350 to air the ad in the Cleveland television market.

Sunday was supposed to be its big TV premiere before a month-long run on a variety of media.

“The Super Bowl time slot was just the first airing of what will be an entire month showcasing the new spot on multiple stations and digital platforms across the region,” Mansfield wrote. He added that TV viewers still saw an ad “that showcased all that Kent State has to offer,” albeit an older one.

Around 70 people, including students, were involved with creating “The Purpose that Drives You,” according to a university news release. The older ad was also created with student involvement.

Contact Dylan Reynolds

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