Mountain Dew hasn't advertised in the Super Bowl for 15 years.
So its return to the big game needed to be something special.
The ad was certainly different. And it's completely divided opinion. Some people think it's the best of the game. Whereas others think it's the stuff of nightmares.
The 30-second spot, created by BBDO New York, depicts a "Puppy Monkey Baby" - a hybrid creature drawing on some of the best stars Super Bowl ads of previous years.
The Frankenstein-esque Puppy Monkey Baby monster prowls around a living room, repeating the words "puppy monkey baby."
Then the creature licks a man's face.
The surreal spot was polarizing. Judging by the Twitter response, people either loved it or hated it:
This commercial tho... Loved it! https://t.co/f5byCf3ZdI
- Jeanie D. (@pcbeachlaw) February 8, 2016
@MountainDew fire your marketing director #puppymonkeybaby
- System Fade (@SystemFade) February 8, 2016
My uncle said he's not buying Mountain Dew, because of #puppymonkeybaby
- Mabel (@DavidsTony) February 8, 2016
@netw3rk they should have gone with the hangover after a night fueled by Mountain Dew energy drinks, not a very engaging commercial though
- Cassidy Rasmussen (@Casras9) February 8, 2016
@Espngreeny @MountainDew Can't wait for next year's PuppyMonkeyBaby Bowl!
- William F. Haider (@haiderwf) February 8, 2016
Puppy baby monkey? So Mountain Dew took a page out of Old Spice's book and tripped acid before the commercial concept meeting
- Landon Williams (@LandonJacob1) February 8, 2016
That Mountain Dew commercial was legit disgusting
- Bradyn not Brayden (@BradynPalitti) February 8, 2016
Kill #puppymonkeybaby with fire.
- #CutMarcusCannon (@Smeezus) February 8, 2016
Whatever way, it grabbed attention amongst the dozens of other brands airing ads on game day. The #PuppyMonkeyBaby hashtag was trending on Twitter long after the ad aired.
#puppymonkeybaby trending hard pic.twitter.com/vtfWKvVBPG
- Oliver Snoddy (@olisnoddy) February 8, 2016
Prepare for more Puppy Monkey Baby action - the Super Bowl ad is just the start of a larger "It All Starts With A Kick" marketing push, which will feature across digital media and outdoor advertising.