PayPal Stories Archive

The Big Game is just four days away. Last year, more than 114 million people tuned in to watch – mostly for the game, but also for the commercials. It’s the one time a year that people actually use their DVRs to record, not skip pass, the commercials – as businesses pour in time, creative resources (and a lot of money) to produce the most compelling ads that make us laugh, make us cry or inspire us to action.

 

We all get to participate in the viewing of the commercials, but what’s it like to actually be behind the scenes of a Big Game commercial? We asked some of our employees who were on set in Cape Town, South Africa during the filming of PayPal’s Big Game ad.

 

“Being on set of PayPal’s commercial and brand campaign launch was a surreal experience,” shared Astrid Huijssoon, a marketing manager at PayPal’s Paris office. “When I arrived, I was surprised to see so many people on set – more than I would have imagined. We filmed at over 10 locations in Cape Town. There were dozens of crew members building and setting up various sets, photographers shooting stills of the actors and film crew capturing different shots of the :45 second spot. There were also hair and makeup artists along with wardrobe people transforming the actors into various characters. It was the first commercial recording I have ever been to, and I felt like I was on the set of a movie.”

 

Tyler Christensen, the global brand advertising lead at PayPal, shared: “I’ve been involved in filming a lot of different commercials throughout my career, and this is by far one of the largest projects I’ve worked on. We were in Cape Town for over two weeks scouting, prepping, and filming with one of the most sought after directors today. The finished commercial looks amazing, and I can’t wait for the world to see it on February 7th.”

 

Want get to get sneak peak of our Big Game commercial? Watch our teaser here -- and don’t forget to tune in on Feb 7, first quarter to watch our ad in the Big Game.