2021 Super Bowl LV Pre-Game Commercial Roundup

It’s about that time. It’s the time of year where we gather around the biggest screen in our social group with dozens of our closest friends and/or acquaintances we at least trust to bring the good beer. Time to share all of those great recipes you’ve been working on — whether for guacamole, wings, or a lovely new strain of a communicable disease.

Ahem.

Yeah, let’s not do that. Let’s stay home, make a small batch of guac for your own fam, and spring for the good stuff yourself since you don’t need to account for the one guy who brings a sixer of Natty Light when you’ve stocked the fridge with artisanal growlers.

Since the crowds won’t be too rowdy, you can finally pay attention to both the commercials and the big game. We’ll have live-ish coverage of the automotive-adjacent ads during the game, but as usual, some automakers have released their ads early. Check ’em out!

One note — some automakers (and others) are making a big deal of the fact that they aren’t running commercials during the Super Bowl. Kia has announced that they’re making two million dollars in donations to homeless youth organizations. And, apparently, high-school football — they’ve released a video where they’re pulling at the heartstrings by showing sad footballers and cheerleaders. As the dad of a sousaphone player, I have to ask: WHAT ABOUT THE MARCHING BAND?

Volvo isn’t running an ad during the game either — instead encouraging you to actually watch the game. Calling their campaign Sunday, they ask you to build-and-price a Volvo online. If a safety is scored during The Big Game (they’re careful to not call it the Super Bowl) then Volvo will give away two million dollars of cars to those who’ve built and registered their dream builds. I didn’t register, since Volvo won’t let me build a Tom Walkinshaw Racing 850 wagon.

Further, Jeep has announced that they will have an ad in the second half…but no hints or teasers are available yet. Literally, their press release is as follows:

The Jeep® brand will debut one commercial during this Sunday’s (February 7, 2021) Big Game telecast. The spot will air in the second half of the game.

Sounds exciting.

On to the videos!

First up: Vroom, a used-car marketplace, playing on the old “buying a car at a dealer is torture” trope.

Next, Weathertech brings their usual rah-rah American manufacturing stories to the big stage.