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Comedy·NO REGRETS?

Maurizio's No Frills in Etobicoke questions value of its $4 million Super Bowl commercial

Maurizio Fratteli, owner and operator of Maurizio’s No Frills, a mid-size Etobicoke discount grocer, was having many second thoughts on having spent four million dollars on a single 30-second television commercial to advertise his store
CBC Comedy ·

ETOBICOKE, ON—Reports abound that upon waking up this morning, Maurizio Fratteli, owner and operator of Maurizio's No Frills, a mid-size Etobicoke discount grocer, was having many second thoughts on having spent four million dollars on a single 30-second television commercial to advertise his store during the third quarter of Sunday's Super Bowl game between the New England Patriots and Atlanta Falcons.

"This was a big decision. I try to make big decisions, I try to make big moves," said Fratelli, 46. "This is what I have to do for my business. But will this one pay off? This is what I am wondering. That's a big expense to recoup, especially for a No Frills, and I am not positive how we're going to do that yet. We haven't seen the numbers shift just yet."

"They asked me. You know?" he emphasized strongly. "That's not something that—I didn't go crawling to these people. I saw a listing, I saw a list of prices, offered to any store, to any business. And I took them up on that. You know? I want you to know that and I want you to know that right now."

We are literally called No Frills, as you know. I can't help but wonder if we went against our game plan.- Maurizio Fratteli

"Still. I could see myself regretting this decision. It's a lot of money to shell out. Oh lord Jesus, a heck of a lot of money. This was… that is 8.5 years of our operating budget. We are literally called No Frills, as you know. I can't help but wonder if we went against our game plan. A thirty-second Super Bowl spot featuring Kirstie Alley and Don Cheadle is a frill, absolutely, and I would never disagree with you on that point."

Fratelli had no qualms about getting his store's name "out there" in general, but did wonder if he made the right move regarding the specific choice of event.

"The game was in the United States. We're in Canada. So the commercials show down there, but not— here, I feel like, isn't that the one place they can't get the commercials? Yeah that's one place where a lot of people won't see the commercial. So that's not smart probably. Or not as smart as we could have been."

At press time, Fratelli had reportedly been told that the Super Bowl was in Texas, almost as far away as it is possible to be from Canada and still be in the United States, and had gone to lie down in his office "for a while."

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