Harrison ‘Ford’ Helps Jeep Dig Rival In $32 Million Super Bowl Commercial
What’s in a name? Not brand loyalty, apparently.
Harrison Ford made a surprise appearance in a two-minute Jeep commercial during Super Bowl 59.
The commercial wasn’t shown or teased ahead of the game, unlike the Glenn Powell-led commercial from Jeep’s corporate cousin, Ram, that had been released in full on Thursday.
The commercial was helmed by James Mangold, who directed Ford in “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny” and is nominated for an Oscar this year for his work on “A Complete Unknown.”
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The spot is called “Owner’s manual” and follows past Jeep Super Bowl commercials with an inspirational message about heroes and freedom and living your life well.
CLICK TO WATCH THE COMMERCIAL ON YOUTUBE
“The longest thing we ever do is live our lives, but life doesn’t come with an owner’s manual,” Ford says. “It might have been nice, huh?”
At one moment, a Jeep Wrangler pulls up alongside a Ford Bronco as Ford says, “Freedom’s the ability to inspire,” then pulls away and literally leaves its rival in the dust.
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“We won’t always agree on which way to go, but our differences can be our strength. So choose, but choose wisely. Choose what makes you happy,” Ford says, before he delivers the twist.
“My friends, my family, my work make me happy. This Jeep makes me happy, even though my name is [whispers] Ford.”
In an interview released by Jeep, Ford said the script is what drew him to the commercial.
“I read it to my wife, cold, and she said, that’s good,” he explained. “That sounds like you.”
“It’s a very simple, straightforward communication about life. And it ends, getting in a Jeep. And that’s the hook.”
Ford, who is the vice chairman of Conservation International, is shown driving a plug-in hybrid Wrangler 4xe in the commercial.
“That’s the kind of happiness I’m talking about. Familiar, comfortable appropriate … this machine could be my friend.”
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Jeep’s global chief marketing officer Olivier Francois said the company originally bought one-minute of commercial time, but when he tried to cut the spot down he realized “what he filmed was too beautiful” and decided to go with the two-minute version.
Jeep has not announced the exact amount it paid to run the ad, but commercial time was selling for an average of $8 million per 30 seconds this year.
Mangold was, of course, previously nominated for directing “Ford v Ferrari,” which lends some irony to his work with Mr. Ford on a Jeep ad.
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