If there’s one thing Dolly Parton is known for, it’s her independent spirit. This is a big reason why website company Squarespace hired them for their new Super Bowl ad.
“We wanted this ad and Dolly’s story to inspire people thinking about entrepreneurship,” said Kinjil Mathur, Squarespace’s chief marketing officer in New York City. The spot re-introduces Parton’s 1980 work anthem “9 to 5” for the gig economy and recession, encourages people to quit their daily jobs, and, Squarespace says, “turns a passion or off-hours project into one Career Transform “, of course, with a Squarespace website. Parton even has a new one Song “5 to 9”, a knowing wink for moonlight in the title and in the choir. Below the lyrics: “It’s a hectic time … with a website that deserves your dream.”
The Parton campaign is a way to expand Squarespace audiences and compete against competitors like Shopify and Wix, says Kevin Taylor, professor of entrepreneurship at Stetson University in DeLand, Florida. The ad is one of several ads the company ran during the Super Bowl in recent years. For example, in 2017 John Malkovich, who used Squarespace for his clothing line’s website, was featured in advertisements.
With Parton, Taylor says, “I see Squarespace trying to make a piece for Central America.” Parton conjures up a seedy entrepreneur outside of the coastal towns, he says. Think how she put Pigeon Forge on the map with Dollywood theme park in her hometown of Tennessee.
Parton says Dollywood opening in 1986 was seen as a big risk. “My directors … thought I made a mistake. But I believed in my dream and was obviously right,” she recalls in a Q&A with Squarespace. She fired those managers, she says.
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