South Dakota debuts visitor-focused Super Bowl ad

Super Bowl viewers across the Midwest got the message that South Dakota is more than a “one-hit wonder” during Sunday’s big game.

Travel South Dakota’s first Super Bowl ad involved a collaboration with the 2000s one-hit-wonder band Nine Days.

The band reworked its hit single “Absolutely (Story of a Girl)” into a revamped “Absolutely (Story of a State),” a catchy way of touting South Dakota’s many exciting offerings.

“We’ve taken a really fun approach with the spot,” said Jim Hagen, secretary of the South Dakota Department of Tourism. “We’ve all heard it before that South Dakota has Mount Rushmore, but is there really anything else? Is it just a ‘one-hit wonder?’ And nothing could be further from the truth.”

The ad re-created the band’s hit video with “the same wardrobe, the same room, everything,” Hagen said. “I just hope it creates some nostalgia in viewers and makes them look at South Dakota in a new light through a very fun, creative TV commercial.”

Here’s the 30-second version of the ad:

And here’s the minute-long version of the ad:

The 30-second commercial ran Sunday through broadcast, cable and CTV live in select markets, with additional markets airing an extended 60-second cut. Priority markets include Denver, Minneapolis, Omaha, Des Moines and Kansas City, along with Rapid City and Sioux Falls. The commercial will continue to run in many of the key markets into late February.