General Motors and Netflix co-branded an ad on electric vehicles for this year’s Super Bowl game. The two companies are promoting EVs on screens everywhere. The spot is called EVs on Screen, and Will Ferrell will star in the ad. Ferrell is already known to have appeared in other EV campaigns by GM.
The ad will be aired during the second quarter of the February 12 game held at the State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. GM shared two snippets of the advertisement, which are embedded below, showing Will Ferrell interacting with a zombie from the film Army of the Dead and some characters from the hit series Squid Game. But that’s not all, because GM plans to place multiple EVs from its portfolio in a multitude of Netflix shows, with the GMC Hummer EV pickup, Chevy Sierra Denali, Chevy Blazer, Chevy Silverado, and Cadillac Lyriq making appearances in Bridgerton, Squid Game, Stranger Things, and Army of the Dead.
According to GM, the 15-second teasers will be followed by longer 30- and 60-second clips. All of them will feature Will Ferrell, who started collaborating with the American carmaker about two years ago. At the same time, GM’s partnership with Netflix began a year ago. “It’s great to have Will Ferrell back in the game,” Deborah Wahl, GM’s global chief marketing officer, told Automotive News. Further added, “We launched with him two years ago when he issued a full challenge to America to beat Norway regarding EV penetration. We’re well on the way to that. And so he was the perfect person to showcase this next move we’re all making.”
Promoting EVs
GM executive stated that Netflix committed last year to include at least one EV in every film or series it produces but that it doesn’t dictate specific storylines. This way, directors and producers can find more natural ways of incorporating electric cars into their stories. Netflix CMO Marian Lee Said, “We want to give electric vehicles the stage they deserve. And really, with this partnership and our ‘EVs on Screen’ campaign, we’re showcasing how we can reflect the change that we see happening in culture through entertainment.” Further added, “GM was bold enough to invite us to collaborate on something bigger. They had us asking ourselves, why not more EVs in the stories we tell?” It is an exciting way to put it, especially in times when there are people who are sceptical about using an EV.