Kanye West raises eyebrows with 30-second Yeezy ad during Super Bowl: ‘Is this real?’
Kanye West promoted his Yeezy fashion line during Super Bowl LVIII with a 30-second ad that reportedly cost him nearly $7 million.
The rapper, 49, appeared to have filmed the commercial for Yeezy.com on his cell phone camera from the backseat of a car. “Hey y’all, this is Ye, and this is my commercial,” he said. “And since we spent all the money on the commercial spot, we actually – we didn’t spend any money on the actual commercial. But the idea is I want you to go to Yeezy.com.”
West, who legally changed his name to Ye, spelled out the website for viewers before adding: “I’m gonna write it at the bottom of the screen and I got some shoes and mmmm that’s it.”
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the 30-second ad only aired in certain markets. While the cost for a national commercial slot is reportedly $7 million, it’s likely West didn’t pay the full amount as the ad only appeared regionally. The Super Bowl aired on CBS and was available to stream on Paramount+.
Although only some Super Bowl viewers were able to see the Yeezy ad on Sunday evening, clips of West’s commercial went viral the following day. In a TikTok repost, many users expressed their confusion at the brief, yet to-the-point, commercial.
KANYE WEST YEEZY #SUPERBOWL COMMERCIAL 😭pic.twitter.com/GnxnycKPjO
— NFR Podcast (@nfr_podcast) February 12, 2024
“Is this real or nah lol,” one TikTok user commented.
“Most Kanye commercial,” another person said.
“He sounds like a kid with a small business,” joked someone else.
One user praised the 30-second ad as “marketing genius” while another person wrote: “Bro is living in a different reality.”
The commercial was to promote the controversial fashion designer’s new Yeezy Pods shoes, which are selling for just $20. In addition to the sock-like foldable shoes, a number of graphic T-shirts and pants were also being sold for $20 – including a white tank top with the word “Wet” written across it, and long sleeve shirts promoting his newly released album, Vultures.
This wasn’t the only memorable commercial that aired during the 2024 Super Bowl. Most notably, fans declared Ben Affleck’s commercial for Dunkin’ the best ad of the night. The actor was joined by his wife Jennifer Lopez, his best friend Matt Damon, Jack Harlow and Tom Brady. Several other celebrities made Super Bowl ad cameos, such as Kris Jenner for Oreo and a Hellmann’s mayonnaise ad starring Kate McKinnon.
Super Bowl LVIII, which was played at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada, saw the Kansas City Chiefs beat the San Francisco 49ers in overtime, 25 to 22.