Super Bowl ads from companies with Michigan ties raise eyebrows
For those not supporting the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles, Sunday night was a good one to laugh it off.
And there were plenty of high-priced advertisement spots trying to do just that.
Little Caesars had a light-hearted one with actor Eugene Levy promoting its Crazy Puffs snacks and a new flavor, bacon and cheese. Rocket Mortgage took a more serious tone with a montage on homeownership alongside the John Denver tune, “Take Me Home, Country Roads,” and the tagline: “Everyone deserves their shot at the American dream. Own the dream.”
And Jeep was one of the other Michigan-tied brands that bought high-priced ad space for the big game.
“Ads were much better than the game,” said Robert Kolt, a Michigan State University professor and head of Kolt Communications Inc., who rates the ads with other professors each year. “Professors like fun and funny.”
Ford, but not that Ford
Stellantis NV and its predecessors — which has a long history of both sentimental and humorous Super Bowl ads — returned to the big game ad lineup after a year off and as it tries to regain sales momentum after a dismal 2024.
Harrison Ford starred in a Jeep commercial that the adventure SUV brand kept under wraps until it aired Sunday during the Super Bowl’s fourth quarter.
The “Star Wars” and “Indiana Jones” actor talked about freedom and how life’s path doesn’t come with an owner’s manual. Then he took a lighthearted dig at the Dearborn automaker that shares his last name: “This Jeep makes me happy … even though my name is Ford,” the film legend says with a smirk before rolling off in a Toledo-made Wrangler 4xe, Jeep’s plug-in hybrid version of the rugged off-roader.
“I said ‘yes’ to doing this commercial because of the script,” Ford said in a statement. “It’s a very straightforward communication about life, and ends with getting in a Jeep vehicle, that’s the hook. It didn’t require me to reintroduce myself, point to the fact that in my life I’ve been many things, and known for specific projects or roles. It’s just a quiet talk from somebody sharing an idea. I love the way it developed.”
Newly appointed Jeep CEO Bob Broderdorf said the brand chose “the guy who epitomizes adventure both on screen and off,” adding that there was “no greater stage to have Ford admit to America just how happy Jeep makes him.”
Kolt, the MSU professor, said the Jeep-Harrison Ford ad was solid and in the “top 20,” but that most of the target audience “had tuned out or gone to bed” by the time it aired in the fourth quarter of a blowout win by the Eagles. “Just bad timing,” he said.
In addition to its Jeep ad late in the game, the SUV maker also sponsored the halftime show. The Jeep commercial — which included another passing reference to the Ford Bronco being inspired by the Wrangler — also incorporated a nod back to its roots as a military vehicle that was used in World War II. It was directed by James Mangold of “Ford v Ferrari” and “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny.”
Jeep owner Stellantis was the only automaker with ads in Super Bowl 59 between the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans. Beyond the Jeep piece, the carmaker in the second quarter showed a lighthearted “Goldilocks and the Three Trucks” commercial featuring its Ram pickups — including the forthcoming Ram 1500 Ramcharger, an electric extended-range model in which a gas engine can recharge the battery.
The Ram commercial featured actor Glen Powell and his real-life niece and nephew in a goofy, hard-rock iteration of “Goldilocks and the Three Bears” that includes the Ram 2500 Rebel Heavy Duty, the Ram 1500 RHO and the Ramcharger.
“I had the chance to play Uncle Glen alongside my real-life niece and nephew, Gwen and Witt, a role that hit close to home in the best way,” Powell said in a statement. “In my family, the Super Bowl is more than just football, it’s about coming together, and yes, judging the commercials. Having my family in my first Super Bowl ad felt like the perfect way to bring everything full circle.”
Others in gear
Stellantis wasn’t the only company with Michigan ties to pay as much as $8 million for each 30 seconds of Super Bowl air time this year on Fox Sports and Tubi amid expectations for another massive audience.
A few car companies said they participated in the big game in other ways. Mercedes-Benz Group had a social media campaign and a fleet of vehicles transporting NFL players around New Orleans, for example, while Subaru Corp. sponsored the Puppy Bowl.
And a couple of companies had ads with a car focus, like WeatherTech, involving a trio of women rolling down the highway in a 1963 Lincoln Continental convertible, and Häagen-Dazs with some of the “Fast & Furious” cast, including Ludacris in a customized Jeep pickup.
For years, Cars.com has closely monitored its web traffic during the big game — and often seen big spikes based on the auto ads. Jen Vianello, chief marketing officer for Cars.com, said a few years ago, automakers started ramping up their electric vehicle ad campaigns. It resulted in an 80% increase in EV searches for the 2022 game on the site, with some brands seeing much larger traffic spikes.
But automaker interest in Super Bowl ad campaigns dropped off in 2023 and 2024 due to supply constraints and economic pressures, she said. Some carmakers have instead opted for more targeted digital campaigns rather than big TV ad buys.
“While EV interest is growing, actual adoption remains slow due to concerns over infrastructure and affordability, making some automakers hesitant to spend big on mass-market EV ads,” Vianello said in an email. “Broader economic uncertainty and supply challenges have also led automakers to scrutinize marketing budgets more carefully.”
Gone crazy
Little Caesars, meanwhile, used humor and comedian Eugene Levy to showcase its Crazy Puffs and the new bacon and cheese flavor. It plays on the “wow moment” when people first try Crazy Puffs, which, in Levy’s case, causes his eyebrows to fly away.
“When you have this wow moment, your face changes. … your eyebrows go up,” said Greg Hamilton, chief marketing officer of Little Caesars. He added the concept “led us down a path to lean into an idea that would leverage Eugene Levy in his iconic eyebrows. Eugene’s eyebrows are the most legendary eyebrows on the planet.”
Rocket goes a different direction
While Jeep, Ram and Little Caesars leaned on big acting names in their ads, Rocket said it specifically didn’t want to take the celebrity approach this year. “Gone are the days of celebrity marketing. Gone are the days of borrowed interests,” said Jonathan Mildenhall, the company’s chief marketing officer, adding the goal was to highlight “the transformative impact that Rocket can have on the community that we serve.”
@lramseth
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