The Legendary Bruce Springsteen is a lot to a lot of people, but he’s never really been the face of a marketing campaign. His music, yes, but not the man. But if you tune in Super Bowl LV tonight you will see a familiar face – and learn that Springsteen has partnered with Jeep.
The commercial is not so much a commercial as a mini film, which you would expect from someone like Springsteen. This short clip, which clocks in at two minutes, is called “The Middle” and features only two vehicles: A 1980 Jeep CJ-5 and a 1965 Willys Jeep CJ-5.
That’s because this is not so much an ad for a product it is a plea for Americans to “meet in the middle.” Or, essentially, to give up our partisan behavior and show a little compassion for one another.
In the commercial in two acts, Springsteen talks about a chapel in the middle of the country, the US Center Chapel in Lebanon, Kansas. In a voice-over he notes: “It’s no secret. The middle has been hard to get to lately. Between red and blue. Between servant and citizen. Between our freedom and our fear. Fear has never been the best of who we are. And as for freedom, it is not the property of only the lucky ones; it belongs to all of us. “
It ends with the slogan “To the ReUnited States of America”, followed by the Jeep website and logo. You can watch the full clip below:
So why did “The Boss” agree to continue with an ad for the first time in his career? More than anything, it’s the message behind it, and it wasn’t an easy deal for Springsteenager. According to him, he actually agreed to film the commercial only a few weeks ago Vanity Fair. Here’s more from the story:
Springsteen thought the concept would be very spiritual, says [chief marketing officer of Stellantis Oliver] Francois. “He saw this as a prayer,” and that interpretation played a role in whether the musician would contribute one of his actual songs to the play, an idea that, according to Francois, was indeed under consideration. “If this is a prayer, he doesn’t want the music to distract from it.” Springsteen chose to contribute a score instead, with Francois requesting the music on a happy note after the artist’s voiceover ended.
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It’s certainly an idea that will hit a lot of people after one of America’s most chaotic election seasons (although I have to admit I find some humor in the fact that this uplifting message should be conveyed through the auspices of religion and capitalism).
And it is certainly a good thing for Jeep and Stellantis. Numerous automakers have pulled out of the Super Bowl, so we won’t have the ads we’re used to during the big game. Jeep moving forward with the Springsteen idea will give the message a little extra oomph in a vacuum without ads.