John McClain and Die Hard are Back...in Blockbuster Battery Spot

I gotta be honest. The Nakatomi Tower needed to make a cameo. And no “the quarterback is toast” reference? C’mon, now!

Other than that, the “return” of John McClain succeeded in, if nothing else, making a CAR BATTERY relevant for a few days. For those catching up, a few tweets began to pop up on Sunday afternoon regarding the return of Die Hard. Whisperings of the iconic film series and its hero John McClain (Bruce Willis) got the Internet mildly buzzing. Later that evening, the truth was revealed. Die Hard and McLain did come back to make an action-packed appearance during the Sunday Night Football telecast:

Now, there’s a lot to break down here as a child/teen of the 80s and 90s, but there’s simply not enough time or space. So, let’s stick to the marketing end of things. I love that Advance Auto Parts (the brand that is bringing Die Hard batteries back to its stores) had the guts to go all in on this.

Facts are facts. Auto repair chains, and their respective advertising and marketing, are formulaic and boring. Motor oil and filter promotions. Cliched helpful retail associate-led TVCs. The occasional sports figure tie-in. Although they do know how to gin up a good jingle like nobody’s business….seriously, between Advance, NAPA and Oh, Oh, Oh, O-Reiiillly, it’s really uncanny. But I digress…

Point is, as I’ve said countless times before, even the “obvious” good ideas still need someone with some stones to make it happen. I love to imagine the creative discussions inside brand and agency walls. I wouldn’t be surprised if something progressed along these lines…

“We’re getting Die Hard batteries back exclusively, how should we promote it.”

“Let’s do a Die Hard-style blockbuster mini-film. Get Bruce Willis. Bring back Argyle. Climb through ventilator ducts. Blow sh*t up. Getaway car fueled by….you-guessed-it.”

Then, some brave soul said "f it, when else are we going to do something cool with a battery.” A blockbuster Die Hard-film inspired 2-minute film was then born. Of COURSE, that’s how it went. Regardless, the film/spot/initiative is here. It’s entertaining. It’s shareable. It’s talkable. It’s retro. It’s a smart move.

From a news-driving standpoint, it’s been a home run. Outlets from Variety to CNN to UK Dailies and all the marketing, entertainment and automotive trades in-between. Zero chance that the breadth of media covering this product re-introduction is secured without the bold approach of bringing back McClain.

How many batteries it sells and traffic to Advance Auto Parts will be the deciding factor on its ultimate effectiveness. That said, nearly half a million views on your car battery commercial in two days and trending status on YouTube could be a company first.

Hat tip to the subtle Christmas tunes and all the other not-so-subtle cues and nods to the series.

Yippee-ka-yay, AAP.