William Shatner’s recent paparazzi photos eating Raisin Bran in his car and carrying a box of it were deliberately staged as part of a teaser campaign for the cereal brand’s first-ever Super Bowl ad.
The 94-year-old actor appears in the WK Kellogg Co spot (its first Super Bowl appearance in about 15 years), created by VaynerMedia. The commercial, focused on humor around fiber and gut health amid growing consumer interest in nutrition, will air just before halftime on streaming platforms, with some regional TV placements during the broadcast.
It ties into the emerging “Wellness Bowl” trend for the Big Game.
The faux-candid shots—first showing Shatner mid-bowl in LA traffic, then exiting a car with Raisin Bran tucked under his arm—sparked curiosity and gossip-site coverage, exactly as planned.
Shatner confirmed to outlets like TMZ that the images were publicity stills from a two-day shoot, though the final ad features him in a spaceship (nodding to his real Blue Origin trip) rather than driving and eating.
This “pap-walk” tactic follows a rising trend in Super Bowl marketing: Brands like CeraVe (with Michael Cera toting moisturizer) and Velveeta (Julia Fox with a branded look) have staged similar celebrity-product sightings to build buzz weeks ahead, turning tabloid culture into free amplification before the official reveal.
By leveraging Shatner’s larger-than-life persona, Raisin Bran cleverly turns an everyday fiber cereal into pre-kickoff conversation fodder—mission accomplished for getting a health-focused product noticed early.