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The automaker with a history of bringing notable and occasionally controversial commercials featuring the likes of Eminem, Clint Eastwood and Bruce Springsteen to Super Bowl audiences plans to sit out this year’s big game broadcast.
Stellantis, owner of Jeep, Ram, Chrysler, Dodge and Fiat, said Friday it won’t advertise as part of the broadcast, which is scheduled for Feb. 11 in Las Vegas. The automaker will join Detroit Three rivals General Motors and Ford Motor Co. in not advertising during this year’s Super Bowl.
It’s the latest move by Stellantis to cut costs, following announcements that it won’t participate in upcoming shows like CES in Las Vegas or the Chicago Auto Show.
“With a continued focus on preserving business fundamentals to mitigate the impact of a challenging U.S. automotive market, we are evaluating our business needs and will (make) the appropriate decisions to protect our North America operations and the Company. In light of this assessment, we will not be participating in the Big Game this year,” according to statement provided by company spokeswoman Diane Morgan.
Stellantis, which reported a slight dip in its 2023 U.S. auto sales for the fourth quarter and full year but also an increase in its most recent announcement on corporate net revenues, began canceling show appearances during the UAW strike last year. A company spokesman told the Free Press for an article on Wednesday that the automaker would assess its presence at future shows on a case-by-case basis.
Although Stellantis won’t advertise during the broadcast, it’s not known whether the automaker will launch some other type of campaign as it has done in the past for the game. In 2019, before the merger with Peugeot maker PSA Group that created Stellantis, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles skipped the broadcast but aired seven spots on its brand and social media channels, including one featuring a herd of rams heading to the game and the rock music of Frankenmuth, Michigan, natives Greta Van Fleet.
The company’s ad spots during the game, however, have frequently caught an outsized share of attention, with messaging that seemed to rise above mere product pitching. The 2011 “Born of Fire” spot, featuring Eminem and the tagline, “Imported from Detroit,” was as much a boost for the city as it was an ad for the Chrysler 200.Other spots were more controversial, such as a 2018 Ram Trucks ad that used part of a Martin Luther King Jr. speech.
General Motors said last fall that it plans to skip the big game this year. GM spokeswoman Arianna Kughn confirmed that the automaker is holding to that plan.
“We are still not planning to participate in the Super Bowl this year,” Kughn said. “We continually evaluate our media strategies to ensure they align with our business priorities.”
This will be the first time in the past four years that GM will not advertise during the Super Bowl.
Last year, GM, in a partnership with Netflix, kicked off a series of ads with a second-quarter spot starring actor Will Ferrell called, “Why not an EV?” It featured GM’s EV lineup in cameos in various Netflix shows.
Fox, which aired the game last year, asked between $6 million and $7 million for a 30-second spot, according to Variety. Fox reportedly had sold nearly all of its spots by September with several topping $7 million, Variety reported.
Ford Motor Co. hasn’t advertised during the game for years, although it did needle GM on social media related to that company’s 2021 spot, and spokesman Mike Levine confirmed Friday it won’t be doing so this time around either.
Ford CEO Jim Farley has suggested that the huge cost of Super Bowl advertising is a poor use of spending.
In 2022, Farley said the money is better spent on customer loyalty programs, adding:
“If you ever see Ford Motor Co. doing a Super Bowl ad on our electric vehicles, sell the stock.”
Contact Eric D. Lawrence: elawrence@freepress.com. Become a subscriber.
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