Hot Wheels just scored big with its latest 50-second spot, “Touchdown.” The ad launches Mattel’s “Snap to Play” campaign, starring NFL quarterback Russell Wilson’s five-year-old son, Win, in the driver’s seat. Wilson takes on the role of a racetrack announcer while Win demonstrates the brand’s all-new speed-snap track system — Hot Wheels’ most significant innovation since its 1968 debut.
Equal parts playful and nostalgic, “Touchdown” shows how the updated design makes it easier than ever for kids to build tracks on their own, while reminding parents why Hot Wheels remains the No. 1 toy in the world.
Here’s what iSpot’s Creative Assessment platform revealed on actual viewer response to the spot.
The Details:
- Hot Wheels’ spot, “Touchdown” :50, featuring Russell Wilson and his son, was an absolute winner for the brand, ranking in the very top percentile of ads (past year) in breakthrough (Attention and Likeability), Information, and Change:
- Moreover, the spot placed in the top decile on every other creative performance metric, including Watchability and Relevance, with very positive responses seen across age/gender.
- Both the characters and the product itself made impressions above the average toy ad, with the brand/product sparking strong nostalgia.
- The creative very successfully reminded gen pop Americans of the brand, with 86% able to recall Mattel – and the Hot Wheels product – after a single exposure (unaided) to easily outpace toy benchmarks.
- Moreover, the spot placed in the top decile on every other creative performance metric, including Watchability and Relevance, with very positive responses seen across age/gender.
- “Touchdown” in fact ranks among the top toy ads tested over the past year (at #2), and ranks first in Attention, Likeability, Information, and Change (new/innovative/unique):
- The ad did trail the top five toy ads in driving consumer intent a bit, at 48% Top 2 Box, vs a competitive high of 55% Top 2 Box (Hasbro’s “Blooming Flowers” :15) and a toy benchmark of 45%.
- Viewer sentiment on the new Hot Wheels spot waxed Nostalgic as the ad effectively tapped into positive past associations with the brand, resonating with parents and adults who grew up with Hot Wheels:
- Across all viewers, 64% of sentiment was positive.
- Both those who played with Hot Wheels themselves and those who watched their children play, found the ad to be heartwarming. The focus on a parent and child interacting was a strong point of praise. The use of a football play-by-play narrative to describe the child building and playing with the track was a clever and engaging approach that resonated with many while the product ‘snap’ innovation was another source of appeal.
- Some objected to Wilson himself, either as fans of opposing teams, or in finding his delivery as “monotone” or boring. For others, the ad’s length could have been trimmed for better engagement.
- Across all viewers, 64% of sentiment was positive.
Gen Pop Viewer Sentiment on “Touchdown” :50:
Sample comments on “Touchdown” :50
“It was such a good idea to have a positive interaction between dad and child. It’s really inspiring to see the importance of family reflected in an ad. And I think that the tagline was genius, that it all starts with a snap. It was endearing to have us think that this ad was going to be for some football agency or company, only to shift it to a sweet interaction with a child playing with a toy to be cheered on by Dad.”
Female 36-49
“Clever! I think I would appreciate it more if I knew who the celebrity athlete was, but I believe there were enough context clues to help us know it was a celebrity. They did a good job highlighting the actual product, but I felt like it could’ve been shortened.”
Female 21-35
“Oh my God, did that bring back memories? I remember playing with Hot Wheels. My kids played with Hot Wheels and now my grandkids are playing with Hot Wheels. I can’t believe it, Hot Wheels. They’re the toy that has always been around.”
Male 50+
“I like this ad. I like how the tracks snap in a different direction instead of slide. They’ll stay together better. I’m more likely to buy it watching this ad. Thank you. Hopefully this ad shows on TV for other viewers before Christmas.”
Female 50+
“I love the idea of Hot Wheels’ tracks snapping together. I haven’t bought them lately because the last time I did the pieces slid together. They never stayed together. Pieces always were lost.”
Female 36-49
“I think this was very good. I like Russell Wilson and he was the spokesperson in the video, I believe, with his son for the new snap on Hot Wheels’ tracks.”
Male 36-49
“I don’t personally like sports, so I didn’t like the sports aspect of it. But I do appreciate the family bonding and the encouragement of the father.”
Female 21-35
“This was a clever ad with the snap of the track and the snap of a quarterback when starting a play. The ad also displayed a father’s interest in his child, which is very positive to see. Plus, incorporating the announcer view of the dad was fun!”
Female 50+
“I’ve always liked Hot Wheels and tracks. I think it’s unique. It makes the tracks easier to conduct. I think the company is definitely moving in the right direction with that.”
Male 36-49
- “Touchdown” resonated at an above-average level among viewers regardless of the presence or age of children, reflecting the nostalgia for the brand itself as well as interest pulled by Wilson and the new Snap track product:
- The average toy ad posted an overall response (Ace Score) of 541.
- Second-by-second trace reflects good levels of engagement, but also opportunity to shorten the play-by-play scenes so as to achieve a shorter length:
- Given the high appeal of the ad, increased budget could be warranted. Alternatively, a shorter version could allow a higher perceived focus on the product to drive intent, while also affording expanded reach within budget.
- Given the broad appeal across demos and an above-norm response seen among followers of most major pro and college sports, an opportunity for flexibility in media placements could allow for budget containment/reach maximization as well.
- Given the high appeal of the ad, increased budget could be warranted. Alternatively, a shorter version could allow a higher perceived focus on the product to drive intent, while also affording expanded reach within budget.
- The new :50 “Touchdown” enjoyed response well above toy benchmarks (past year) regardless of income and across ethnicity:
- Such substantially positive reactions support additional budget if possible.
Hot Wheels has been fueling imaginations for generations, and with “Touchdown” :50 leading the charge, the brand proves it’s not slowing down anytime soon. Faster builds, bigger creativity, and a fresh spark of nostalgia — this is playtime at full speed.
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Creative Agency: Heyday Agency