OnStrategy Showcase — The Story Behind Highdive’s Rise to Fame as America’s Super Bowl Agency

Host: Fergus O’Carroll
Guests: Mark Gross (Co-Founder & Co-Chief Creative Officer, Highdive), Aaron Wong (Group Strategy Director, Highdive), Vanessa Chin (SVP Marketing, System1)
Aired: September 17, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode dives deep into the origin story and breakthrough moments behind Highdive, the Chicago-based agency renowned for their run of iconic Super Bowl ads. Host Fergus O’Carroll speaks with co-founder Mark Gross and strategist Aaron Wong about Highdive’s cultural DNA, creative philosophy, and strategies for consistently producing top-performing Super Bowl campaigns. Vanessa Chin from System1 joins to unpack the science behind why Highdive’s spots resonate so widely—and how testing, insight, and brand strategy drive long-term impact far beyond a single big game.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Founding Highdive: The Early Days

• Origins at DDB: Mark Gross, Chad, and Megan all worked at DDB before striking out on their own in 2016.
  • "[Chad] popped his head into my office...and said, why don't we do this ourselves? Do you want to start something? And I was crazy enough to go with him." (Mark, 05:03)
• Building the Initial Client Roster: The agency launched with accounts like Nike Lacrosse and Barilla, using personal industry connections.
• Early Team Formation: Megan and Louis Slotkin joined, providing key account service expertise.
  • Their first significant pitch as a team was to Jeep.

Becoming America’s ‘Super Bowl Agency’

• Embracing the Reputation:
  • While proud of being known as a Super Bowl shop, Mark acknowledges it has both positives (new business) and challenges (clients assuming they only do big-budget, celebrity-led spots).
• Competing for Super Bowl Work:
  • Highdive often must win their spot each year through competitive pitches, even with incumbent clients like Rocket Mortgage.

The ‘Secret Sauce’: Storytelling and Insight

• Simple, Emotional Storytelling:
  • Highdive prioritizes "a very relatable insight that people can emotionally resonate with," focusing on beginning-middle-end narratives over fragmented vignette formats. (09:42-10:22)
  • Quote: "I think we start over...with simple storytelling and a very relatable insight that people can emotionally resonate with." (Mark, 09:42)
• Human Connectedness:
  • Vanessa: Spots like Lay's Little Farmer and Jeep’s Groundhog Day score high because they feature two characters, character interactions, and genuine emotion—not just information exchange. (11:31)
  • "It includes what we would call human connectedness...that is what kind of puts you over the top." (Vanessa, 11:31)
• Creativity Beyond Spectacle:
  • Highdive resists the temptation to default to celebrities and loud antics unless they serve the story.
    • "Celebrities aren't bad. I just think you have to use them within strong storytelling." (Mark, 10:24)

Brand & Strategy in the Big Game

• Brand at the Center:
  • Mark emphasizes making the brand integral to the story. Just adding logos/brand colors is insufficient. (27:01)
  • "Is the brand integral and at the center of the story?... In Lay's, we told a whole potato story and put the bag at the end...and yet I think it got great branding scores." (Mark, 27:01)
• Clarity is Kindness:
  • Highdive looks for precise business problems and messaging from clients. For example, Lay’s needed to reinforce that their chips are made from real potatoes and are worth the premium. (29:04)
• Insights Drive Creative:
  • Example: For Lay’s, consumer research showed many Americans didn’t know Lay’s were made from real potatoes (29:39). This insight fueled the “Little Farmer” spot.
  • Aaron: "We had to go out there and really prove why Lay's was different and special again. And that connection and their relationship with their American farmers really sets us apart and reminds people why this is a special brand." (15:47)

The Role & Realities of Pre-Testing

• Testing as a Gut Check:
  • Some clients require pre-testing; Highdive uses it more for learning and fine-tuning than as a creative decision hammer.
    • "I think it should be used more for a gut check and direction rather than the decision maker. And sometimes it really helps." (Mark, 18:09)
• Client Strategies:
  • Testing helps “champion the work we wanted to make, not to kill it” (Vanessa, 20:32). Used well, pre-testing provides ammunition for brave or unusual ideas.
• Emotional Impact > Purchase Intent:
  • Vanessa: “We really—the work, the best work makes you feel something and reduces neutrality. And that's really where our pre-testing comes into play.” (20:32)

Memorable & Admired Spots (with Timestamps)

• Lay’s “Little Farmer” (Repeatedly Discussed):

  • Quiet, authentic tone; starting with familiar, human connections.
  • Validates emotional resonance and effective brand linkage: “It doesn't go higher than 5.9...That really is a testament to knowing what your distinctive assets are, but also knowing what things you are consistent with.” (Vanessa, 28:02)

• Jeep “Groundhog Day” (32:10):

  • Originated with the realization that Super Bowl 2020 fell on Groundhog Day, leveraging Bill Murray for narrative and product fit.
    • “Bill Murray was all in...he knew there was value in it. He loved the idea from the get go, and he was in.” (Mark, 33:49)
  • The truck’s role ("fun") cleverly ties to the story’s thematic twist.

• Rocket Mortgage “Momoa” Spot:

  • Engaging setup followed by a memorable comic reveal.
  • "It starts with something that, that just resonates in. That's, that's human insight and something they relate to emotionally." (Mark, 15:22)

• Bud Light “Miles Teller & Kaylee” (21:55):

  • Mark admires the realism and restraint: "It wasn't loud. It was a very real moment. It felt like they weren't acting...it made me feel good." (Mark, 22:05)

• BMW “Talking Like Walken” (23:08):

  • Creative technique and performance shine, but branding is muted; scored 3.6 vs. Highdive’s 5+ branding average (Vanessa, 25:33).
  • “It took almost the entire spot to understand who it was for, and that then loses most people.” (Vanessa, 25:33)

• State Farm “Agent State Farm” w/ Arnold Schwarzenegger (36:11):

  • Concept spun out of Arnold’s distinctive pronunciation of “neighbor” and a brief to make the jingle famous again.
  • Demonstrates how a stickier brand asset can be reinjected into culture via celebrity synergy.

• Rocket Mortgage “Certain is Better” w/ Tracy Morgan:

  • Mark: “...the difference between pretty sure and certain. I loved the script when I saw it...It was such a keen, interesting insight.” (39:04)

Thinking and Planning Beyond the Bowl

• Extending Campaign Value:
  • Highdive is careful to avoid football-specific spots unless the client is comfortable with a single-use investment.
  • Many campaigns are built to extend into digital, social, and PR:
    • “We shot it purposely to be...a vignette spot. And so we got a ton of content...They ran those [Rocket Mortgage] for six months beyond [the Super Bowl].” (Mark, 41:23)
  • Vanessa: “With social media you can very authentically use spaces like TikTok to extend your campaign...Lays is a perfect example." (43:15)
• Investment & Industry Dynamics:
  • There’s a risk of “one-off” Super Bowl work when there aren’t AOR relationships, but developing campaign-able ideas provides ongoing value and greater agency-client connection.

Notable Quotes (with Timestamps)

• On Highdive’s ‘Secret Sauce’:
  • "Simple storytelling and a very relatable insight that people can emotionally resonate with." —Mark Gross (09:42)
• On Human Connectedness:
  • "That really lights your right brain on fire...getting to know those characters, and how they interact." —Vanessa Chin (11:31)
• On the Role of Testing:
  • "Testing allows great work to be made. It helps you make the case internally for why that great idea should be produced." —Vanessa Chin (20:32)
• On Super Bowl Spot Longevity:
  • "It's too costly for a client not to take advantage of it and spend all that money and not be able to use it." —Mark Gross (42:37)
• On Clarity in Strategy:
  • "When I say clarity is kindness...tell us the simple thing you want to say and we'll come up with a clever way to say it." —Mark Gross (29:04)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Highdive’s Founding Story: 04:22 – 06:49
• Super Bowl Reputation & Business Impact: 06:49 – 09:03
• What Makes Highdive’s Spots Work: 09:23 – 15:22
• The Role of Testing: 16:44 – 21:33
• Discussion of Admired Spots (Bud Light, BMW): 21:55 – 25:32
• Branding, Attribution, and Consistency: 25:31 – 28:46
• Strategic Clarity & Lay’s Insight: 29:04 – 32:10
• Jeep Groundhog Day Origin Story: 32:41 – 35:29
• State Farm 'Agent State Farm' & Stickiness: 35:49 – 38:51
• Choosing & Selling Top Ideas: 39:04 – 40:37
• Extending Beyond the Super Bowl: 41:23 – 45:10

Conclusion

This episode is a masterclass in the art and science behind consistently effective Super Bowl advertising. Highdive’s work is driven by clear strategic intent and classic storytelling, rooted in authentic human insight—not just spectacle or celebrity. Testing is embraced as a sharpening tool rather than a creative straightjacket. Value is delivered well past the big game by making ideas extensible. And above all: clarity, emotional resonance, and brand centrality are the throughlines of Highdive’s rise as America’s Super Bowl agency.