EMU’s Super Bowl ad shines on Sunday night during Patriots-Seahawks showdown

Viewers tuning in to watch Super Bowl LX on Sunday night may have spotted some familiar faces and beloved places on their TV screens.

As players from the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks football teams cleared the field at halftime and fans eagerly awaited Bad Bunny’s performance, a 30-second ad for EMU aired on Charlottesville-based WVIR-TV (NBC-29). The commercial featured aerial shots of the EMU campus along with students engaged in academics, athletics, and community events.

“What will you find when you get an EMU education?” the voiceover asks at the start of the commercial. 

“You’ll Find Your ROAR and so much more,” the voiceover concludes. “Tour EMU for a grant of up to $4,000 upon enrollment.”

According to a November 2018 news release, the TV station’s all-day ratings made it the ninth-highest-rated NBC affiliate in the country. The station’s designated market area has a total population of 99,260 TV households, as of the 2024-25 season (U.S. Television Database).

EMU Visual Media Manager Macson McGuigan ’17, who produced the commercial, said the ad represented countless hours of filming EMU events—from move-in day to Commencement—and that watching it air was a “very gratifying experience.”

“My overarching objective has always been to inspire people through photography and videos, and to inform them of the beauty of our campus, the richness of our community, and the impact an EMU education provides in the lives of our students,” McGuigan said. “Knowing that this commercial was on screen in so many households regionally brought me great joy, because it means that many more people have now had a glimpse into what an awesome place EMU is.”

One viewer who watched the Super Bowl ad and wrote in with praise was Judy Mullet, professor emerita of psychology at EMU, who said her “mouth dropped open” when she saw the commercial start. “Our family party watched it several times and was so impressed with the professionalism, and you packed a lot of EMU’s best into a short time,” she wrote in an email to the Marketing and Communications team. “Thank you for representing a place that still has my heart—I taught there for over 30 years, and our three children graduated from EMU as well.”

Watch the ad below!