“Mullets” is a Super Bowl spot directed by two of the industry’s most celebrated directors, a never-before-seen pairing: Dave Laden and Christopher Gruse. Our :30 film featured special-effects work by the Mill and a special guest appearance from “Stone Cold” Steve Austin.

With a hardworking cargo chassis and a powerful engine, the new Kawasaki RIDGE side x side is an off-road vehicle built for both ranch utility and recreation. Work and play. Business and party.

Kawasaki wanted to tell America on the most American night of the year—the night of the Super Bowl. How do you communicate “work meets play” with a simple visual? Easy.

Mullets.

The mullet hairstyle—a symbol of rock ’n’ roll rebellion in the United States—combines a short “business-like” front and a long, flowing back. As the kids say, it’s “business in the front, party in the back.”

The ad features two speed demons who magically grow mullets upon entering the RIDGE. As the duo tear up backcountry roads, bald eagles, bears and other creatures sprout mullets as if they’re straight out of an ’80s metal show—culminating in the famously bald former pro wrestler (and real-life Kawasaki enthusiast) “Stone Cold” Steve Austin suddenly sporting a blond mullet as the RIDGE passes him by.

We aired “Mullets” during Super Bowl LVIII for a fraction of the budget of traditional Big Game brands. And we blew America’s hair back! The spot was named the #8 best Super Bowl ad of 2024 in Adweek, #4 in Slate and #6 in Fast Company and was listed among the top 10 ads in Campaign US. It also garnered a morning-after replay on TODAY with commentary by Al Roker.

The ad features two speed demons who magically grow mullets upon entering the RIDGE. As the duo tear up backcountry roads, bald eagles, bears and other creatures sprout mullets as if they’re straight out of an ’80s metal show—culminating in the famously bald former pro wrestler (and real-life Kawasaki enthusiast) “Stone Cold” Steve Austin suddenly sporting a blond mullet as the RIDGE passes him by.

Off-road vehicles—and especially side x sides—have left their once-niche world of ranchers and adrenaline junkies and are on the verge of entering mainstream consciousness. The fastest-growing segment in powersports is now side x side vehicles, which have skyrocketed as of late, their sales amplified during the pandemic. Many families realized that side x sides provide the perfect way to get outside, spend time on adventures and have more fun together.

But the category is split in two: slow workhorse models and fast sport ones. Work or play. Utility or recreation. The all-new Kawasaki RIDGE combines a hardworking, cargo-capable chassis and a four-cylinder engine. It’s work and play, together at last!

Our brief instructed us to tell America in the simplest, most memorable way possible!

The creative industry took notice—which we didn’t expect given our niche category! “Mullets” was named the #8 Best Super Bowl Ad of 2024 in Adweek, #4 in Slate and #6 in Fast Company, was in the top 10 in Campaign US and earned a full morning-after replay on TODAY, with commentary by Al Roker.

More importantly, Kawasaki saw near-immediate results: an 832% lift in website activity, a 465% lift in the customers receiving quotes on Kawasaki.com, a 6.43M reach on X and Reddit, a 21% lift in net sentiment on social media, a commanding share-of-voice increase, from 28% to 41%, in the category, 3.54M views on YouTube, 2.1M views on Instagram, plus 260K likes on our static social teaser with Steve Austin.