Why Ryan Reynolds Reposted The STōK Cold Brew Super Bowl 2024 Ad
To rouse public interest, many companies are releasing their Super Bowl LVIII ads ahead of game day. According to a press release, STōK Cold Brew has joined the trend, unveiling its quirky commercial on February 2. On the same day, the ad was reposted to Ryan Reynolds' Instagram. As it turns out, the "Deadpool" actor has some skin in the game where STōK Cold Brew is concerned.
Starring Sir Anthony Hopkins, the ad centers on the actor preparing for his role as Wrexham AFC's mascot, Wrex the Dragon. With a little help from STōK Cold Brew, Hopkins leaps around the soccer pitch, stoking the flames of passion in the hearts of Wrexham fans.
The Welsh football club first joined forces with STōK Cold Brew in July 2023, when the Colorado-based coffee company became the team's official stadium sponsor. The sponsorship deal was struck between STōK Cold Brew and the football club's co-chairs, Reynolds and "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" star Rob McElhenney, who purchased the team in November 2020.
Reynolds had a hand in STōK Cold Brew's Super Bowl ad
When STōK Cold Brew became the stadium sponsor for Wrexham AFC, Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney were stoked. "We wanted a stadium sponsor that captured the vitality and energy of Wrexham Association Football Club," the co-chairman said in a press release. "STōK Cold Brew Coffee fit the bill perfectly." The coffee company's Super Bowl LVIII ad, created by Reynold's production company Maximum Effort in collaboration with Danone Internal Agency, undeniably captures that vitality and energy — and has plenty of Reynold's signature wit, to boot!
"For the past few seasons, one of the keys to Wrexham's success has been the singular performance of Wrex the Red Dragon as portrayed by Sir Anthony Hopkins and fueled by STōK Cold Brew Coffee," Reynolds and McElhenney said in a press release about the Big Game ad. "Critics have called his performance 'moving' and 'heartfelt' as well as 'surprisingly acrobatic for an 80-year old.' We just call him a legend and are forever grateful."
Brittney Polka, vice president of ready-to-drink beverages at Danone North America and lead for STōK Cold Brew Coffee, calls the commercial a "bold move." Polka points out that the coffee and soccer-centric ad moves away from the traditional beer-and-football formula used to reach viewers during the Super Bowl.