SuperBowl is a topical event: imagine a mix between the Sanremo festival and a scudetto decided in one game, and multiplied by 10. From the US it has spread to a planetary phenomenon, and it's kind of a New Year's Eve for marketing.
Companies take advantage of the gigantic attention: on the American market we are talking about at least 100 million viewers. A unique opportunity to place in their commercials the products and services they want to launch into the stratosphere that year: for this reason, a 30-second commercial at the SuperBowl costs 5 million dollars. This is why watching SuperBowl commercials year after year is like seeing a photograph of the trends of that period. Well: if there was ever a recurring theme for Super Bowl ads, this year it was electric cars.
This year, four major automakers competed for SuperBowl audiences, pushing their next ones ahead electric vehicles.
The Four Musketeers of the electric car at the SuperBowl
Player of the caliber of Audi with his e-tron SUV, Porsche with his fully electric Taycan, Ford with its Mach-E crossover Mustang and of course GMC with its electric Hummer.
Here are the SuperBowl commercials with electric cars
GMC brings the legendary Hummer into the electric age
An all-electric Hummer that goes from zero to 100 in three seconds, with enough torque to tow the moon out of its orbit. Does it sound like science fiction? Me too. For this, in addition to the commercial, I will wait for GMC's specifications on the top line of its new vehicle.
Take on the Taycan
Porsche, for its part, brought an elaborate commercial to the SuperBowl called “The Heist” which features (guess what?) a bizarre chase. It all starts when an electric Porsche Taycan is stolen from the Porsche museum.
The Frozen of Swords
Audi went further and invited Game of Thrones star Maisie Williams to star in the commercial for its new e-tron SUV. In the commercial, Williams escapes with an e-tron from a frenetic, congested, dirty and polluted city while she performs the terrifying "Let it go", the official song of the film Frozen. (Precise: terrifying FOR ME, that with a 2 year old and 4 month old girl I will have heard this song 6000 times already).
And what does Audi have to “let go of”? Maybe fossil fuels. In the song the words are more or less “The cold has never bothered me”. In Italian, however, the song says more or less "from today the cold is my home". Does he point out that the world will get a little cooler if we all start driving e-trons?
Yes, it's a Mustang, but it's not what you think
In the commercial for its Mustang Mach-E electric crossover, Ford put Idris Elba giving a heartwarming speech amidst a swarm of roaring classic Mustangs, and then I stop here, so you see for yourself.
Of course, these advertisements are literally designed to make us want what they promote.
Given the cost and competitiveness of Super Bowl commercials, it's clear that traditional auto makers are betting big on their electric offerings.
Is it a trend?
But it's obvious! Some analysts have said that 2020 will be the year of the electric car as well-known brands finally start offering serious, well-equipped and truly affordable electric vehicles.
