Will Ferrell will star in GM’s next Super Bowl commercial, an extension of the company’s “Everybody In” ad campaign for EVs.
GM
DETROIT – With the help of actor Will Ferrell, General Motors is waging a battle against Norway in a 60-second ad during the Super Bowl LV.
Why did GM choose the Nordic country known for its beautiful fjords and landscapes? Because it is also the best selling electric vehicle market per capita in the world.
The comical ad – called “No Way, Norway” – shows Ferrell gathering his fellow comedians Kenan Thompson and Awkwafina to go to Norway in GM’s next GMC Hummer pickup and EVs Cadillac Lyriq crossover to “crush them”.
“Well, I’m not going to put up with that,” says Ferrell as he hits a globe in the ad. “With GM’s new Ultium battery, we’re going to crush these lugers. Destroy them! Let’s go to America.”
GM launched a new corporate-level advertising campaign last month – the first in more than a decade – focused on the automaker’s all-electric vehicle efforts, including 30 new models globally by 2025. Ultium is the next battery platform and technology from automaker, which will sustain its next generation of EVs.
More than half of the vehicles sold in Norway are fully electric, driven by government regulations and tax incentives. This compares with less than 4% last year in the United States – the vast majority of which are Tesla models.
GM’s director of marketing, Deborah Wahl, said the aim of the ad is “to keep momentum” for the automaker after recent announcements about EVs. The ad is an extension of the company’s new “Everyone inside” marketing campaign, which aims to encourage the adoption of all-electric vehicles.
“For the GM brand, the whole mission now is to really start the movement, really help to change people’s opinions about what they think they know about EVs versus what they really are,” she told CNBC. “The Super Bowl requires something extra and special. It is a time when you have a huge amount of eyes.”
GM said it was very diplomatic about “crushing” Norway, alerting the country’s leaders to the joyful announcement before releasing it. Part of the commercial was filmed in Norway.
The announcement, which GM released a 90-second version on Wednesday, is one of two commercials that GM is scheduled to air during the Super Bowl LV between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. It was done with McCann Worldgroup, a marketing company based in New York.
One of General Motors’ two ads at this year’s Super Bowl will feature the Cadillac Lyriq. In this screenshot provided from the Cadillac ad, Lyriq appears to be in the fictional neighborhood of the 1990 film “Edward Scissorhands”.
GM
The other ad is set to feature the EV Cadillac Lyriq crossover as well as the company’s Super Cruise hands-free driver assistance system. GM released a teaser image of the unreleased commercial last week that showed the vehicle in the fictional neighborhood of the 1990s Edward Scissorhands movie.
The GMC Hummer pickup is due to go on sale this fall as GM’s first EV with Ultium technology. The Cadillac Lyriq will follow in the first quarter of next year, according to GM.