The commercial will play on the electrification movement in the automobile sector with Jeep entering the game. Electric Boogie became a dance hit in 1990 and one of Griffiths’ biggest, enduring hits. —
Reggae icons Marcia Griffiths and Shaggy, and emerging artistes have teamed up with car brand Jeep in an commercial that will air during the US Super Bowl broadcast on Sunday.
“We have a song coming on the Super Bowl, Eclectic Boogie with Marcia Griffiths and emerging artists,” said Orville ‘Shaggy’ Burrell in teasing out the collaboration on Saturday in his ongoing music conference held in Kingston that ends Sunday. “That will be aired on Super Bowl tomorrow”.
The Super Bowl refers to the annual final game US National Football League where the champions are crowned. It’s one of the largest broadcast events in the Western world in part due to the popular half-time show which has the biggest acts in US entertainment.
The commercials are usually the most innovative and unexpected to maximise engagement during the game. Ads during the game reportedly cost over US$7million for 30 second slots.
The Philadelphia Eagles will play against the Kansas City Chiefs. It’s a game of historic significance as its the first Super Bowl in which both starting quarterbacks are Black.
“Shaggy has a song that will be airing in the Super Bowl,” said Tom Poleman, Chief Programming Officer and President of National Programming for iHeartMedia which operates 900 radio stations in the USA, in his keynote address which morphed into an onstage conversation with Shaggy, who was moderator. “We are going to try to sell some Jeeps along the way, but it is a lesson.”
Poleman explained that Shaggy’s professionalism and work ethic allow him to continue gaining corporate contracts and serve as a case study for others.
“People like Shaggy and Bono (lead singer of mega band U2) , these people are the cream of the crop. I feel like they have seen it all. You would expect the most successful people to be the most arrogant people but they are not and that’s why they are the most successful,” said Poleman.
The commercial will play on the electrification movement in the automobile sector with Jeep entering the game. Electric Boogie became a dance hit in 1990 and one of Griffiths’ biggest, enduring hits.
Electric Boogie or the Electric Slide was written by Neville Livingston popularly known as Bunny Wailer in the 1970s. The most known version of the song was, however, sung by Griffiths in 1983, and then remixed by her in 1990 which then became a chart topper. Griffiths was one third of the IThrees, the backup singers for The Wailers.
Shaggy is not a stranger to the Super Bowl with his biggest hit ‘It Wasn’t Me’ reimagined for a Cheetos Crunch Pop commercial for the 2021 game.
The inaugural Island Music Conference seeks to provide stakeholders with knowledge and discussions on the business, art and management of Caribbean music.
The panel discussions included global experts, executives from record labels, and representatives from all the major streaming platforms.
– Steven Jackson
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