To all those saying that General Motors would catch flak for its Super Bowl ad with Will Ferrell, in which he claims GM is coming for Norway: you were right.
With Super Bowl LV scheduled to air on February 7, General Motors rushed to release the full-length ad it would run during the game. It highlighted current and future electrification plans, but with a humoristic approach.
Starring Will Ferrell, it played up his obsession with Norway because it was the leading country in terms of EV adoption. Determined to push America onto that number one spot, Ferrell hops on a ferry and then into Cadillac Lyriq and heads to Norway, while co-stars Kenan Thompson and Awkwafina are supposed to meet him there in a 2022 GMC Hummer EV. They end up in Finland by mistake.
The ad, which you will find below, shows Ferrell punch a globe in anger, order anchovy pizzas as a prank for all Norwegians, and more or less declare that nothing about Norway is notable or memorable. For some, this is where the funny approach failed, since it implied belittling competition in a misguided attempt to tug at the patriotic heart strings of Americans.
Norway, for one, is not taking it on the chin. Both Audi Norge and Ford Norge have released their own ads in response to GM’s. Neither will play during the Super Bowl but they’re obviously riding on the coattails of GM’s high budget.
Audi showcases an e-tron crossover, with the driver directly addressing GM and its Norway-hating ways. “Norway is the best country in the universe. You want to punch us in the nose? You want to do this to us? To the world? We’re trying to save the world!,” he declares theatrically. The tagline of the ad is “Don’t hate. Imitate.”
Ford, meanwhile, focuses on the Mustang Mach-e, showing an entire fleet delivering Domino pizzas throughout the country. The meaning is not subtle: by the time GM gets here, Ford will have done a lot of work already. Still, in case it’s lost on the viewer, Ford puts it in the caption too: “Sorry buddy, when you finally get to Norway, your pineapple pizza will be here for you – we’ll save you a bite!”
Here are the videos. If you ever thought automakers were above childish jabs on social media, they’re here to prove you wrong. But they do get the job done: hate or no hate, everyone is paying attention.
Elena has been writing for a living since 2006 and, as a journalist, she has put her double major in English and Spanish to good use. She covers automotive and mobility topics like cars and bicycles, and she always knows the shows worth watching on Netflix and friends. Full profile
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