Did everyone catch that Starting Strongman, the O.G. internet resource for strongman fans, was in a Super Bowl commercial last night?!
It was Facebook’s first Super Bowl ad, and it was intended to show the diversity and strength of all the Facebook Groups the platform has to offer. Sandwiched right between the Moab Rock Climbers and a bunch of people in rocking chairs in the From the Front Porch group — everyone in the ad was a pun on the word “rock,” you see — we suddenly see strongmen heaving Atlas stones.
There are two more very cool things you should know before watching it:
- Of all the groups featured in the video, the strongmen and strongwomen (including The Titan Games‘ winner Charity Witt) landed the video’s featured image. The video has over 20 million views so far and everyone who has hit play has done it looking at these badass athletes below.
- The ad finishes with Chris Rock and Sylvester Stallone at the Rocky steps in Philadelphia. Starting Strongman in an ad with Sylvester Stallone. This is a pretty big deal.
Here it is:
https://youtu.be/B0uYOOTz6kk
Right there in front of the “Wanna Rock?” title, the only man who is sitting in front of the letters, is Starting Strongman’s founder Kalle Beck. An institution in the world of strongman journalism, the man posted a brief summary of his story on a Facebook post:
THANK YOU For the support over the years. I had an idea of a resource to raise awareness for Strongman and help others in their training and break down the barriers that were present in the sport and help people realize Strongman is for EVERYONE.
It hasn’t been easy. I started this company 6 years ago because I was fired from my job for competing in China and made Starting Strongman to follow my dreams. 6 years later we were recognized as a top group by Facebook and they included us in their Super Bowl Commercial!
Smaller versions of the ad, like this one that just combines stone sculptors and strongmen, have also appeared online:
And the athletes are even appearing in ads on the streets of Manhattan:
They are playing the @StartStrongman @Facebook commercial in downtown Manhattan! #moretogether pic.twitter.com/XwRMUfi6wk
— Kalle Beck (@LetKalleLift) February 3, 2020
If you want some extra inspiration and a really deep dive behind how it all happened, Beck posted a lengthy video on YouTube that you can watch below.
[Make absolutely sure you listen to our podcast with Kalle Beck here!]
We fell out of our seats when we saw Starting Strongman in a Super Bowl commercial and couldn’t be happier for Kalle. Congratulations, Mr. Beck!
Featured image via Facebook on YouTube
