After nearly 60 years, Bruce Springsteen starred in his first ad, and it may have been the best commercial in the entire Super Bowl.
Rob DeMartin / Jeep
The Super Bowl just ended, and while the Big Game itself wasn’t a big contest this year, we wouldn’t blame you if you I just watched the flashy commercials. Nowadays, most expensive ads for the game end up being released earlier to help extend the news cycle a little. However, others were not released until Sunday night, so we are gathering all the automotive ads – the best and the rest – in one convenient location for your delight.
Of course, 2020 has been a difficult year for everyone, so the proportion of humorous commercials for those trying to pull their hearts out is becoming a little more inclined towards the latter than normal, this is expected and not bad. We are also seeing fewer car-focused ads than usual this year, with automakers like Hyundai and Kia opting out despite big shows in the past. That said, there are some long and flashy ads, especially from domestic car manufacturers. General Motors opted for humor, Jeep betting everything on blunt patriotism.
Jeep’s “The Middle”
It took almost six decades, but Bruce Springsteen finally decided to appear in a commercial. Fittingly, it is a large and ambitious two-minute Jeep location that is much more about the state of America than the state of sales of the company’s new model. “The Middle” is centered on a small church in Lebanon, Kansas, which is in the geographical center of Lower 48. The ad shows the legendary rocker and poet asking our divided country to come together and find common ground as a nation, somehow avoiding looking heavy or boring. It’s worth watching.
“No Way Norway” by General Motors
This is also one of our favorite commercials so far this year. Introduces comedian Will Ferrell in his most disturbed form while trying bring the US together to beat Norway in adopting electric cars, and we have lots of beauty photos of Cadillac’s extremely beautiful Lyriq EV, which is coming in 2023. Kenan Thompson of Saturday Night Live (and Goodburger) makes an appearance, as does Awkwafina in the General’s next Hummer EV.
“Edgar Scissorhands” from Cadillac
Released on Sunday, just hours before the Big Game, this seriously funny parody of Tim Burton’s masterpiece Edward Scissorhands shows Duna’s future star, Timothée Chalamet, in the role of Edward’s son Edgar Scissorhands, who dreams of driving a car. His mother, played by Winona Ryder, reprising her role as Kim Boggs, goes further and gives him a new SUV with a technological twist.
Ford’s “Finish Strong”
The Blue Oval has been big on serious ads, which make you think and feel good for a few years, and you know, with the global pandemic, that Dearborn folks would double during the Super Bowl. The company’s “Finish Strong” ad features the narration of actor Brian Cranston, along with a bunch of Americans doing American things like bumping into face shields and graduating from high school.
Toyota’s “Jessica Long story”
Toyota’s “Jessica Long’s story“gives us a look at the childhood of the Paralympic swimmer, since her adoption by American parents from Siberia and the difficulties imposed by the amputation of a double leg due to a childhood illness. It is not really cars, instead, it is a kind of rip-jerker and takes us in the same way as the Rav4 Hybrid 2019 commercial featuring Toni Harris caught us.
Vroom’s “dealership pain”
Vroom is not a vehicle manufacturer – he is an app for buying cars – but he is getting in on the fun with his strangely dark ad “Dealership Pain”, which shows a mustache-faced car salesman threatening a car buyer with torture. Of course, the experience with the car dealership can be a drag, but in general, it is not exactly the Spanish Inquisition either.
Weathertech “Family”
Weathertech may be a company with a significant auto racing presence and a car-obsessed owner, but the company’s Super Bowl ads never seem to show any of that. Instead, this announcement is a series of testimonials from employees about how they feel valued about working at Weathertech. It is good and will probably sell some carpets.
“We Never Left” by Weathertech
Not content with just having a spot in the Super Bowl, Weathertech made a second announcement publicizing its history of manufacturing products in the United States. This is a call to other companies that have outsourced their production and are now sounding their trumpets to bring it back to the United States.
CarMax
Well, CarMax bought advertising time at the Super Bowl and strangely didn’t seem so interested in doing something memorable or even attractive. Our guess is that the used car retailer had budget leftovers that HAD to be spent. I mean, until publication, CarMax didn’t even put the video on its official YouTube channel. Spoiler alert: the best part is São Bernardo at the end.
Of course, there are likely to be many more car ads that are not being revealed in advance, but rest assured that we will watch the game and share these locations with you as they go live, so keep them blocked here at the Roadshow.