See Rakuten’s Super Bowl teaser starring Alicia Silverstone as Cher from ‘Clueless’

For its second Super Bowl appearance, Rakuten is taking advantage of times of economic uncertainty to show its company can help consumers save money. The brand, which offers cash back on purchases made within its network of stores, will feature Alicia Silverstone, reprising her role as the ultimate shopper Cher Horowitz from the '90s hit “Clueless.”

A 15-second teaser released today shows Silverstone dressed in her character’s iconic yellow plaid suit, holding court in front of a classroom of high school students. “Don’t bug, your girl is back,” she says, before text that reads “Get a clue. 02. 12. 23”

Calling Cher the “ultimate influencer,” Vicki McRae, senior VP of brand and creative at Rakuten, said the character is key to communicating Rakuten’s value proposition for financially anxious shoppers.

“The whole campaign is this idea of not so clueless—she’s not so clueless about shopping,” said McRae, noting the character would have loved getting cash back and saving. “She would have been the person to share that info, that’s a big piece of what we’re getting across with the savings message.”

Despite the current economic climate, Rakuten has determined that appearing in the Super Bowl is worth the near $7 million price tag after a successful debut in 2022. That spot, which like this year’s effort was created in-house, showed “Ted Lasso” actress Hannah Waddingham in a casino.

The appearance helped the company gain ground in awareness, McRae said, noting that Rakuten moved 5 points in brand awareness metrics last year “and we believe Super Bowl played a big role in that.” In addition, Rakuten said it saw a 10% uptick in buyers between February and a shopping event it hosts in May as well as more high-profile brands joined its 3,500-store network in the months following the Super Bowl appearance last year.

“When you show up in a place like the Super Bowl … merchants we had been talking to but hadn’t been able to get on the platform—last year, we started to get phone calls from,” said McRae, who runs a 45-person team. “That’s why we’re continuing to hit the gas,” she added.

The full 30-second ad will run in the first quarter of the Feb. 12 game. It is part of a larger effort that includes a 60-second spot, and other creative content starring Silverstone.

“It’s not just about the spot—we’re trying to approach the program with the objective of cementing us and building our credibility in style and fashion,” McRae said.