Ram EV pickup debuts in Super Bowl ad that fakes sex drug ad
Ram’s Super Bowl 2023 advertisement features the production version of the Ram 1500 REV electric pickup truck, which is expected to go on sale late next year.
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DETROIT- Stellar will air a 60-second Super Bowl commercial for its Ram brand to indirectly capture footage of the current all-electric vehicle market, specifically pickup trucks.
The commercial called “Premature Electrification” or “PE” fakes advertisements for male sexual enhancers. In it, EV owners discuss issues they’ve had with their trucks – from insufficient range and performance to charging issues and other potential EV-related issues.
“Excited about buying an electric vehicle but worried it might make you… dissatisfied?” says the ad’s star and narrator Jason Jones, a comedian best known for his work on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart” and has appeared in comedic Budweiser and Molson commercials. “Then you could be one of many Americans worried about premature electrification.”
The ad debuts the production version of the Ram 1500 REV electric pickup truck, which is expected to go on sale next year. Online reservations for the electric pickup, which debuted as a concept in January, also open on Sunday. In terms of concept, the vehicle is also similar to the current Ram pickup, which has a classic combustion engine.
Olivier Francois, Stellantis’ chief marketing officer, who has become known for unique and well-received Super Bowl commercials, said the main message is that Ram’s electric pickup truck may not be the first on the market, but it will be worth to wait compared with the current offers.
“We have an incredible electric truck that can really deliver what people want from a truck, so ‘wait, wait and see’ is the meaning of the ad,” he told CNBC. “This is our playing field.”
When the electric Ram does launch, it’s expected to join an increasingly crowded but relatively untested segment that the GMC Hummer EV is a part of. Rivian R1T, ford F-150 Lightning and Lordstown Endurance. Others like the Chevrolet Silverado EV, GMC and Sierra Denali Tesla Cybertruck is expected to launch next year or sooner.
“We’re on an exciting electrification journey where Ram will overtake the competition in the areas customers care about most: range, payload, towing and charge time,” said Mike Koval, CEO of Ram Trucks, in a press release.
Jason Jones, a Canadian-American comedian best known for his work on “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart,” plays and narrates Ram’s “Premature Electrification” Super Bowl 2023 commercial.
R.A.M.
The ad is unique compared to most of the company’s Super Bowl commercials under Francois, who aired many thoughtful commercials and convinced celebrities not known for appearing in ads like Bruce Springsteen, Bill Murray and Eminem to take the to represent automakers and their vehicles or brands.
The behavior of the commercial is similar to a 2015 Super Bowl commercial aired under Francois by Fiat Chrysler – a predecessor of Stellantis – which followed the path of a small blue pill that an Italian man in love accidentally loses while trying to swallow .
“It’s light-hearted,” Francois said. “I think it’s just a necessity. We’ve been through a lot – from Covid to the war in Ukraine to inflation and recession. People want comedic relief.”
Francois said the commercial shouldn’t take lightly on anyone who takes sexual enhancers. He said the “spoof” ads are targeting the prescription drug commercials and the current electric vehicle market.
Similar to a real pharmaceutical commercial, viewers should pay attention to the fine print. In addition to corroborating symptoms of premature electrification, which aren’t real but “certainly worth mentioning,” it says the “range-extending technology” mentioned in the ad for the vehicle “will come later.”
Jeep and the “Electric Boogie”
The Ram ad is scheduled to air during the fourth quarter of the game between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Kansas City Chiefs. Before that, the automaker will also air a 60-second ad for its Jeep brand in the second quarter, focusing on its “4xe” Wrangler and Grand Cherokee plug-in hybrid SUVs.
The Jeep ad is a much more traditional Super Bowl ad, featuring dancing animals along with the electrified jeeps. The music is unique. The commercial features a remixed version of Marcia Griffiths’ 1983 hit “Electric Boogie.” The song, also known as “Electric Slide,” was originally recorded in 1976 by the late Bunny Wailer.
“The two ads do not have the same objective,” Francois said. “Whereas Jeep is about pushing 4xe plug-in hybrid technology … to really boost sales, Ram is a whole different thing. We have nothing for sale at the moment. It’s an investment in the brand itself.”
Griffiths can be heard on the new version of the song alongside Grammy Award-winning reggae artist and producer Shaggy and others. Stellantis releases the song Sunday on streaming services.
The “Premature Electrification” and “Electric Boogie” ads were created in collaboration with Chicago-based agency Highdive. Both ads were posted online the Sunday before the Super Bowl.
Stellantis declined to release the ad spend. According to Kantar Media, a 30-second commercial costs nearly $7 million.
Jeep’s one-minute Super Bowl commercial features dancing animals and the brand’s Jeep Wrangler 4xe and Grand Cherokee 4xe plug-in hybrid electric SUVs.
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