Patrick Burke

Our 2025 Super Bowl commercial for Lay’s was directed by Oscar-winning director Taika Waititi, and tells the simple story of a little girl on a farm who wants to be just like her parents. It scored #2 on the USA Today AdMeter (and I’m pretty sure it would’ve scored #1 if my aunt had been able to figure out the voting site.) I was the Executive Creative Director and writer on this campaign.

I’d also like to note that when we created this Super Bowl commercial it was one of the few that didn’t rely on a celebrity. But, if you’re reading this a few years from now that will no longer be the case. Our little actor, Elsie, is absolutely destined for stardom.

Our Lay’s “Unlimited Choices” campaign took us down a rabbit hole of Lay’s flavors, to introduce new Lay’s All-Dressed— all the best Lay’s flavors in one. I was the Executive Creative Director for this re-imagining of The Matrix film franchise, with Keegan-Michael Key playing Morpheus, and a cameo by Carrie-Ann Moss, reprising her iconic role as Trinity. The campaign was directed by Oscar-winner Taika Waititi.

We’re all different in the comfort of our own home. I was the Group Creative Director and writer on our 2020 Super Bowl commercial for Rocket Mortgage, when we showed the world the real Jason Momoa— and scored #5 on the USA Today AdMeter poll. This campaign became part of pop culture, spawning 4+ years of “Skinny Momoa” memes and gifs. It even became a question in Trivial Pursuit.

Lay’s Classic potato chips bring back memories for us all. In our 2022 Super Bowl commercial for this iconic brand, Seth Rogen, Paul Rudd, and director Evan Goldberg take us down a strange, winding fork of their own Memory Lane. I was Executive Creative Director and one of several writers. But mostly we just watched these comedy legends do their thing. This spot scored #6 on the USA Today AdMeter.

I was one of several writers on this Jeep 2020 Super Bowl commercial, but was not the creative lead. Mostly I spent the weekend scrawling jokes onto a notepad and hoping that Bill Murray and Brian Doyle Murray would like a few of them. But it was the most amazing experience of my career. Just watch it over and over again. The way it should be viewed. #1 on the USA Today AdMeter poll.

Directed by Jim Jenkins

Even I’m sick of it at this point, and I wrote the thing. They ran this spot to death, for arguably too many years, but it broke into our culture in a way that few mere TV commercials can. This odd little idea is still the highest-testing Skittles commercial in brand history, and has inspired countless fan recreations, “Skittlespox Challenges” on YouTube and TikTok, and years and years of DIY halloween costumes.

My role: writer and CD.

When it comes to home buying you don’t want to just be “pretty sure”. You want to be certain. I was the writer and Group Creative Director on our 2021 Super Bowl campaign for Rocket Mortgage, with two spots featuring Tracy Morgan. These two :60s took the top-two spots on the USA Today AdMeter poll, the first brand to do so since 2007. More extensions and :30s are still to come in this campaign.

Directed by Craig Gillespie.

In today’s competitive housing market no one’s Dream House is a guarantee, and no one is safe from the competition. Not even Barbie. In our 2022 Super Bowl commercial for Rocket Homes & Rocket Mortgage, Anna Kendrick interrupts play-time to teach us an important lesson in home-buying: if you want your dream house to become a reality you need Rocket. I was the Executive Creative Director on this spot, which scored #1 on the USA Today AdMeter poll.

Radio is a great test for a writer. Even good radio is usually still pretty bad. Only great radio is any good.

"REAL MEN OF GENIUS"/"REAL AMERICAN HEROES"

It was a privilege to work on this radio campaign for 9 of the 10 years it ran. It remains the most awarded radio campaign in advertising history. Here is a sampling of the executions I wrote for the campaign.

"SONG" OSCAR MAYER RADIO

One of the first things I ever wrote in advertising also won me my first few awards. I keep it around for sentimental reasons.

In 2023, Lay’s and Highdive set an official Guinness World Record for the most voltage from a potato battery, when we powered an entire recording session with wired-up Lay’s potatoes. We recorded a remix of the hit song, “Envolver”, by Brazilian superstar Anitta, using only electricity generated by potatoes— just like the science experiment we all did in middle school, only 6000-times bigger.

In a world of collabs there may be none greater than Jack Links beef jerky covered with Frito-Lay flavors.

In this campaign we invite you to Meat Your Flavor. When you try these new Frito-Lay-flavored meat snacks you might just unleash the "you with more flavor".

Directed by Keith Schofield.

It turns out, people have just misjudged The General based on their past commercials. I was the Group Creative Director and one of the writers on this campaign, which tackled that issue head-on and set the record straight. More to come in this campaign in the coming months.

Directed by Tim Godsall.

Two Super Bowl commercials for Cars.com, from different years. I don’t remember which years. My role on both: writer and ACD.

We launched the Starburst Flavor Morph variant with this TV commercial and associated digital executions. My role: writer & ACD.