On Sunday, the Kansas City Chiefs will face off against the Philadelphia Eagles in a Super Bowl rematch that is two years in the making. It’s really the Super Bowl poster child of the “nothing ever happens” mantra. It seems automakers feel similarly, and that’s why only one of them – Stellantis – decided to make ads this year.
That’s right, the Super Bowl, known partially for its iconic commercials, will only get a handful of car ads from one company. Everyone else, in solidarity with my New York Jets, seems to be sitting out this year. Still, we’re getting one ad from Ram and another from Jeep. There isn’t too much known about the latter just yet, so let’s discuss the former.
The 60-second spot is called “Goldilocks and the Three Trucks,” and it stars (aside from a trio of Ram trucks) my personal hero Glen Powell, putting his own spin on the classic fairy tale for his real-life niece and nephew. In the ad, Powell, dressed as a “rugged woodsy dude” barbecues a dragon in a giant smoker being pulled by a Ram 2500 Rebel, carves a wood sculpture of himself using the Ramcharger’s onboard power and launches a Ram RHO over a volcano. This is all happening as Van Halen’s “Panama” blasts in the background. It’s all very Ram.
It’s slated to air during the two-minute warning before halftime on Sunday, according to the Detroit Free Press. That is prime real estate that probably cost Ram a lot of money. 30-second spots are reportedly going for as much as $8 million, NBC 6 reports.
Powell and the Ram brand aren’t strangers, of course. They first teamed up for “Twisters” last summer. Shortly after, the actor was featured in another Ram ad campaign. The commercial was directed by David Leitch, according to Freep. He’s best known as the director of “Deadpool 2,” “John Wick,” “Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw,” “Bullet Train” and “The Fall Guy.” The man has action movie credits, that’s for sure.
While this ad does seem like a lot of fun, it is pretty wild that it’s just one of two car campaigns coming to the Super Bowl this year. I suppose, like most Americans, automakers cannot bear to see the people of Kansas City or the people of Philadelphia be happy. I get it, and my girlfriend is a huge Eagles fan.
