Creative agency Mirimar and buy now pay later brand Klarna have celebrated the brand’s US launch with a Superbowl campaign starring Maya Rudolph.

“The Four Quarter-Sized Cowboys” campaign starts Maya Rudolph, Maya Rudolph, Maya Rudolph, and their co-star, Maya Rudolph, as four quarter-sized singing cowboys.

In an exclusive interview with B&T, Mirimar co-founder  John McKelvey stressed the importance of Klarna’s ‘pay in four small payments’ offering. “We decided that if we were going to grab the microphone and say one thing, it would [be that], and that’s what really gave birth to the four quarter-sized cowboys.”

Fitting the theme, the ad will air in the fourth quarter of the game.

Luke McKelvey, Mirimar’s other founder, told B&T about the importance of capturing the unique essence of Klarna in the ad.

“Klarna is quite unique…they have a really bold and unexpected aesthetic that is really considered down to the detail. They’re a payments company, so they certainly stand out in that category significantly in the way they present their brand.”

For Mirimar, the Super Bowl presents specific considerations when creating an engaging campaign.

“It’s truly the biggest stage there is,” John said.

“There’s a lot more eyeballs, competition, expectation, celebrity talent involved. Symbolically, it’s a milestone for arriving at iconic American brand status.”

The ethos of a good Super Bowl commercial is ensuring the ad combines “entertainment with clarity,” and asking “how we create a cultural breakthrough moment.”

Klarns’s ad is actress and comedian Maya Rudolph’s first starring Super Bowl role. In a statement, she said:

“It was an honour to work alongside three of the tiniest, most gifted, most incredible co-stars. Honestly, this might have been the best cast I’ve ever been a part of and I think the results speak for themselves. Thank you Klarna for the partnership on my first Big Game commercial.”

For Mirimar, talent is at the core of Super Bowl success.

“Talent partnerships, no matter how unexpected, have to feel authentic. Celebrities are brands amongst themselves, so you have to really find a complementary dynamic to that,” John explained.

“Talent was the biggest thing, and for us, being able to do something that played to Maya’s strengths was a real win.”

Luke agreed, and also stressed the cultural significance that the Super Bowl has.

“[It is] such a cultural moment in America…I think knowing that, being aware of what the culture is in America at the time you’re going out with work is also really important.”

“There are easter eggs in the campaign. Klarna supports minority business [so]…we wanted to use the platform to do this in the ad, where you can see the shops on the side of the town that was created.”

In a year where production was slower and far more difficult than usual, the campaign was created by a Mirimar team of just twelve.

In December 2020 alone, Klarna was averaging 60, 000 new daily downloads and is one of the US’s fastest-growing showing apps.

In a statement, Klarna’s Chief Marketing Officer David Sandstrom said, “as our phenomenal growth in the US has shown, consumers are looking for a better way to shop and pay, so we’re excited to showcase how Klarna delivers that in ‘The Four Quarter-Sized Cowboys’.”

Recently, the UK Government began making moves to regulate Buy Now Pay Later apps like Klarna.

Credits: 
Brand: Klarna
Agency: Mirimar
Client: Klarna
CMO: David Sandstrom
VP of Marketing: Daniel Jontén
Head of Marketing, U.S: Megan Gokey
Brand Lead: Joel Sussman
Marketing Manager: Jana Bertram
Social Lead: Mary Manzo
PR Lead: Sarah Ponthieu
Strategy: Olivia Butter
Design Leads: Camilla Birkström & Matthew Wenger
Copywriter: Camille Muson
Production Lead: Leo Holte
Head of Brand Studio US: Liz Beebe
Agency: Mirimar – Los Angeles
Founder & Chief Creative Officer: John McKelvey
Co-founder & Managing Director: Luke McKelvey
Creative Director: Jon Marshall
Creative Director: Johan Arlig
Design Director: Mariola Bruszewska
Head of Production: Kristine Ling
Executive Producer, Stills: Miranda Kendrick
Group Account Director: Lily Waters
Group Account Director: Alyssa Ramsey
Business Affairs: Nancy Espinal
Production: Biscuit Filmworks
Director: Andreas Nilsson
Partner / Managing Director: Shawn Lacy
Executive Producer: Holly Vega
Head of Production: Sean Moody
Producers: Karen O’Brien / Jay Veal
Production Supervisor: Jen Berry
DP: Alexis Zabe
Production Designer: Alexis Ross
Costume Designer: Christina Blackaller
Editorial: Cabin
Editor: Chan Hatcher
Assistant Editor: Connie Chuang
Managing Partner: Carr Schilling
Head of Production: Liz Lydecker
Executive Producer: Adam Becht
Senior Producer: Michelle Dorsch
Visual Effects: Kevin
Tim Davies – Executive Creative Director/Partner
Mike Dalzell – Head of CG
Sue Troyan – Sr. Executive Producer / Partner
Jami Schakel – Sr. VFX Producer
Andrew Cowderoy – VFX Producer
3D
Carl Harders
Matt Longwell
Bryan Repka
2D
Robert Murdock
Susanne Scharping
Tim Bird
Audio Finishing + Additional Sound Design: Barking Owl
Creative Director: Kelly Bayett
Executive Creative Producer: Ashley Benton
Sound Design + Mix: Mike Franklin
Music + Sound Design: Walker
Executive Producers: Sara Matarazzo / Stephanie Pigott
Music Producer: Danielle Soury
Telecine: Company 3
Colorist: Sofie Borup
Producer: Alexandra Lubrano
Stills Photography
Photographer: Zach Gold
Producer: Michael ‘Skiny’ Power, Cowboys An Indians
Production Designer: Michael Sturgeon
Media Agency: Noble People
Digital and Social Agency: Movement Strategy
PR Agency: 160/90