DETROIT – With the help of actor Will Ferrell, General Motors is waging a battle against Norway in a 60-second ad during Super Bowl LV.
Why did GM choose the Nordic country known for its gorgeous fjords and scenery? Because it’s also the world’s top-selling electric vehicle market per capita.
The comedic ad – called “No Way, Norway” – features Ferrell rallying fellow comedians Kenan Thompson and Awkwafina to go to Norway in GM’s upcoming GMC Hummer pickup and Cadillac Lyriq crossover EVs to “crush them.”
“Well I won’t stand for it,” says Ferrell as he punches a globe in the ad. “With GM’s new Ultium battery, we’re going to crush those lugers. Crush them! Let’s go America.”
GM last month launched a new corporate-level ad campaign – its 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 automaker’s forthcoming battery technology and platform, which will underpin its next-generation of EVs.
More than half of the vehicles sold in Norway are all-electric, driven by government regulations and tax incentives. That compares with less than 4% last year in the U.S. – a vast majority of which are Tesla models.
GM Chief Marketing Officer Deborah Wahl said the ad is meant “to keep the momentum going” for the automaker following recent announcements about EVs. The ad is an extension of the company’s new “Everyone In” marketing campaign meant to encourage the adoption of all-electric vehicles.
“For the GM brand, the whole mission right now is to really start the movement, really help change people’s opinions about what they think they know about EVs versus what they really are,” she told CNBC. “Super Bowl requires something extra and something special. It’s a moment where you have an enormous amount of eyeballs.”
GM said it was very diplomatic about “crushing” Norway, alerting the country’s leaders about the light-hearted ad before releasing it. Part of the commercial was shot in Norway.
The ad, which GM released a 90-second version of Wednesday, is one of two commercials GM is scheduled to air during Super Bowl LV between the Kansas City Chiefs and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. It was made with New York-based marketing firm McCann Worldgroup.
The other ad is expected to feature the Cadillac Lyriq crossover EV as well as the company’s Super Cruise hands-free driver-assist system. GM released a teaser image of the unreleased spot last week that showed the vehicle in the fictional neighborhood of 1990′s “Edward Scissorhands” film.
The GMC Hummer pickup is expected to go on sale this fall as the first EV with GM’s Ultium technology. The Cadillac Lyriq will follow in the first quarter of next year, according to GM.
Source: Business - cnbc.com
