Retro themed Super Bowl ad enables last Blockbuster Video to see huge spike in sales

The Super Bowl is as much a tradition as it is a sport, and it seems it might help bring Blockbuster back into the mainstream too. Amidst all the glitz and glamor, the former video chain might have ended up being the greatest winner of them all.

Well, we say former, but the truth is, the last Blockbuster video store still runs in Bend, Oregon. Standing as a testament to nostalgia among the shifting sands of time, they released an ad during the Super Bowl halftime slot.

The ad showed an apocalyptic hellscape where there's no sign of civilization and a loan surviving roach is looking for refuge. He comes across abandoned cars and empty houses and makes his way to the Blockbuster store that still stands gleaming.

The ad was dropped during the halftime break during the Super Bowl and was released online. Considering the reason behind their demise was partly due to online streaming corporations, it was fitting that this foray should net them some considerable gain.

Based on reports, the store saw twice the number of online orders on Monday compared to the entire last week.

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How did Blockbuster pull this off?

Needless to say, Super Bowl ads are expensive. The going rate for a 30-second slot was $7 million. It's a fee most small scale corporations balk at paying, never mind one single store.

However, they did not use television as their medium to get the ad out. Instead, they targeted the Super Bowl halftime slot when engagement online is the highest. Dropping their ad during that time frame maximized the opportunity for viewers to see it.

This last store is now turning into a brand unto itself as "The Last Blockbuster". It's owned by Ken and Debbie Tisher and run by Sandi Harding. It has become as much a tourist spot as it functions as a movie rental.

One notable passerby a couple of weeks ago was Pete Davidson. The comedian visited the store and posed for photographs. He would later go on to perform with Snoop Dogg in the Pro Bowl.

With celebrities flocking to the local store and their Super Bowl commercial doing so well, it remains to be seen if Blockbuster can recover as a retro-themed tourist destination. Based on the start they had right after their ad, which has garnered international attention, they might pull it off.