It’s the morning after the big game, so of course, all anyone wants to talk about is Will Ferrell and Bruce Springsteen.
A 30-second commercial during Super Bowl 55 cost $5.5 million. Only the largest companies tend to spend like that. So, once again, there were a lot of car commercials. They ranged from moving to silly, and only occasionally referenced cars.
If you missed them, a quick recap:
GM: No Way Norway
General Motors went for silly, asking comedian Will Ferrell and his impressive quarantine beard to pick a fight with…Norway? Yeah, Norway.
The Scandinavian country has outperformed America when it comes to adopting electric cars, and Ferrell throws down the gauntlet, insisting America can beat the Norwegians at this game. If we can find them. He enlists Saturday Night Live’s Kenan Thompson and Awkwafina to travel to Norway, and all of them end up in the wrong parts of Europe.
Cadillac: Edgar Scissorhands
GM’s luxury division, meanwhile, leans on new technology and 90’s nostalgia. Their ad introduces Edgar Scissorhands, the child of the lead character in Tim Burton’s Edward Scissorhands, who dreams of driving but has…well, you get it. His mom (Winona Ryder) has the solution – the voice command feature of the upcoming Cadillac Lyriq.
Jeep: The Middle
There may never have been a riskier year for an automaker to get anywhere close to politics…but, if you have to get somewhere hard to reach, you take a Jeep. The iconic brand sent Bruce Springsteen to a chapel at the geographical center of the lower 48 to call for unity, and whether you appreciated the notion or questioned whether The Boss lost something of himself in finally filming an ad for someone, you have to love his classic CJ-5. Although we question why exactly he’s driving it roofless in Kansas in the dead of winter.
Ford: Finish Strong
The only automaker to lean hard into the pandemic, Ford gave us a serious ad about American resilience, featuring a lot of people in masks, and the hope of getting back to events without them.
Toyota: Jessica Long’s Story
Toyota also skipped cars in its car ad, instead featuring the inspiring story of champion Paralympian swimmer Jessica Long.
