Automakers Go All-In For Superbowl XLVIII Commercials

super-bowl-2This year’s Super Bowl may have been a blowout, but the commercials seemed especially inspired this year. This included a number of entries from automakers both foreign and domestic, with several newcomers to the Super Bowl commercial crowd bringing the thunder, quite literally. It seems to us that Super Bowl XLVIII was dominated by car commercials, and the best ones weren’t only from America.

But since the Super Bowl is America’s game, we’ll start with Ford, which purchased two commercial spots, one right after the other, at the very beginning of the game. With a focus on the 2015 Ford Fusion Hybrid and the tagline of “Nearly double the fuel economy of the average car,” the initial 30-second spot spun off into a follow-up, 60-second commercial starring James Franco.

The two pre-kick commercials were alright, if hybrids are your thing, but it felt a little overdone for our tastes. But what followed was unexpected, to say the least, as another 90-second commercial began with talk of titans, shadows, and striking from the dark. It wasn’t until the last 30 seconds or so that the commercial was for the Maserati Ghibli, a $70,000 Italian sports sedan that is coming to America as part of the Chrysler-Fiat alliance. As to whether or not it was an effective commercial, the fact that so many people are talking about it today pretty much answers that question.

Following up Maserati was a thinly-veiled attempt at linking bulls and cowboys with the 2015 Chevy Silverado pickup. And you know what? It kinda worked. The commercial was neither crude nor in-your-face, but it very clearly made the analogy between the bachelor bull and the heavy-haulin’ pickup. The subtext? Ladies love a cowboy driving a big truck, so saddle up partner.

While Chrysler’s “America’s Import” commercial didn’t debut until later in the night, the two-minute Bob Dylan spot was a refreshing change of pace from some of the lamer car commercials. The “Doberchuahua” commercial from Audi promoting a “no compromises” Audi A3 was especially lame, and felt like it was trying way too hard. More fun was the Toyota Highlander spot starring NFL player-turned-actor Terry Crews and the Muppets. Maybe it was nostalgia, maybe it was the charm of Terry Crews, but Toyota had a memorable commercial if nothing else.

Volkswagen went a little more risque in an attempt to boast of the longevity of their vehicles, borrowing on the whole “an angel gets its wings” motif, followed by butt rainbows, though ultimately the attempt felt a little flat and forced.

http://youtu.be/ns-p0BdUB5o

Kid Vader from Super Bowls past was a much better commercial, though newcomer Kia took the time to inform the world of its new K900 rear-wheel drive luxury sedan. Enlisting the aid of Morpheus from the Matrix series, the Kia ad may feel a little stale, but we get the point: Kia is going upmarket, so just take the damn red pill.

Overall, the automobile was well-represented at the Super Bowl, and some memorable car ads were had. But were any of these the overall winner? Which ad do you wake up remembering and talking to friends about? Leave us a comment below and tell us what your top pick for best Super Bowl commercial was.

About the author

Chris Demorro

Christopher DeMorro is a freelance writer and journalist from Connecticut with two passions in life; writing and anything with an engine.
Read My Articles

Hot Rods and Muscle Cars in your inbox.

Build your own custom newsletter with the content you love from Street Muscle, directly to your inbox, absolutely FREE!

Free WordPress Themes
Street Muscle NEWSLETTER - SIGN UP FREE!

We will safeguard your e-mail and only send content you request.

Street Muscle - The Ultimate Muscle Car Magazine

streetmusclemag

We'll send you the most interesting Street Muscle articles, news, car features, and videos every week.

Street Muscle - The Ultimate Muscle Car Magazine

Street Muscle NEWSLETTER - SIGN UP FREE!

We will safeguard your e-mail and only send content you request.

Street Muscle - The Ultimate Muscle Car Magazine

streetmusclemag

Thank you for your subscription.

Subscribe to more FREE Online Magazines!

We think you might like...


fordmuscle
Classic Ford Performance
dragzine
Drag Racing
chevyhardcore
Classic Chevy Magazine

Street Muscle - The Ultimate Muscle Car Magazine

Thank you for your subscription.

Subscribe to more FREE Online Magazines!

We think you might like...

  • fordmuscle Classic Ford Performance
  • dragzine Drag Racing
  • chevyhardcore Classic Chevy Magazine

Street Muscle - The Ultimate Muscle Car Magazine

streetmusclemag

Thank you for your subscription.

Thank you for your subscription.

Street Muscle - The Ultimate Muscle Car Magazine

Thank you for your subscription.

Thank you for your subscription.

Loading