Actor and comedian Will Ferrell is back touting General Motors’ electric vehicles in a Super Bowl ad this year that has him chatting with zombies from Netflix’s “Army of the Dead” and kids in “Stranger Things” and as he strolls through Regency-era England‘s “Bridgerton,” where a Cadillac Lyriq awaits him.
The ad kicks off a new partnership between GM and Netflix in which Netflix will start featuring GM’s upcoming and current EVs in Netflix-produced shows and films this year.
The partnership will be ongoing with no end date, the companies said in a joint news conference Wednesday. GM and Netflix say this is not product placement because GM is not paying for its EVs to be in Netflix shows. In fact, Netflix has similar partnerships with other automakers to feature their EVs, too. Netflix sees the move as part of a culture change to help it become a more carbon-neutral company and to help the world go electric to mitigate climate change.
The companies said by featuring EVs in shows and educating crew on them, it will help to normalize EVs and encourage adoption. GM plans to offer a full zero-emissions lineup by 2035.
“GM is not paying to put their vehicles on Netflix shows,” said Marian Lee, chief marketing officer of Netflix. “This is the start of an organic partnership where both of our companies are committed to a sustainable future so it’s not product placement. We’re really focused on educating our creators on how to utilize electric vehicles in all of our productions.”
Lee declined to disclose any financials.
In return for Netflix featuring GM EVs in high-profile shows, GM Chief Marketing Officer Deborah Wahl said, “We’re looking forward to working in partnership with the Netflix team in the future as they also build up their advertising business, but that’s a separate effort.”
The Super Bowl ad
As part of the rollout for this alliance, GM is expected to launch two teasers Thursday across social media and a few more teasers ahead of a 60-second TV commercial starring Ferrell that will air during the big game on Feb. 12, in the second quarter. It will be the last ad in the first break, GM spokeswoman Anne Roberts said.
“We have an incredible amount of shows and movies that are recognized and loved,” said Lee. “We really wanted to tap into the fandom for these shows with this spot. The Super Bowl is the biggest sports moment in culture and we wanted to show up alongside GM in a really interesting way.”
The last time Ferrell was in a GM Super Bowl ad was in 2021, called “No way, Norway” in which he discovers Norway outpaces the United States in electric vehicle adoption. Last year, GM hired actor and comedian Mike Myers to star in an ad called ‘Dr. EV-il’ where Myers revived his famous character from the Austin Powers movies to save the planet from climate change by taking over GM to get everybody driving EVs.
In this year’s spot, Ferrell will enter the world of some of the biggest Netflix shows and films including “Army of the Dead,” “Squid Game,” and more to demonstrate how EVs will show up on screen. Of course, it’s a bit over-the-top in the ad for humor. For example, Ferrell pulls up in a 2024 GMC Sierra EV pickup in “Army of the Dead” to ask a zombie for directions. In 1800-era England, Ferrell tries speaking old-English to a character from “Bridgerton” as a 2024 Cadillac Lyriq EV awaits as their carriage.
The other GM EVs featured in the ad include: the GMC Hummer EV in a snippet from “Love is Blind” and “Queer Eye,” the Chevrolet Silverado EV in “Stranger Things” and Chevrolet Blazer EV in “Squid Game.”
“It’s really great to have Will Ferrell back in the game,” said Wahl. “(The alliance) is really important to us because it allows us to reach diverse audiences and highlight our great products.”
Wahl declined to disclose how much the ad cost GM to produce or how much GM paid for time on the Super Bowl. But last year, NBC broadcast the game and said it sold out of Super Bowl ads, with multiple 30-second spots having sold for a record $7 million each, according to CNN. Fox is broadcasting this year’s Super Bowl.
GM to help Netflix move into advertising
Netflix’s Lee said the streaming channel will educate its production staff on how EVs can enhance stories, then help with creative integration where the director and “showrunner determine the ways an EV can fit into their story” and then Netflix helps them identify a vehicle type and get it for the show.
“We’re decarbonizing Netflix in line with climate science and getting to net zero starting this year and every year after,” Lee said. “We do that through a commitment through a more sustainable storytelling and which comes to life in two ways: both on screen and behind the camera.”
Over the course of the next year, GM EVs will be seen in select Netflix shows and films, including “Love is Blind,” “Queer Eye” and “Unstable,” which will feature the Chevrolet Bolt EUV, GMC Hummer EV pickup and Cadillac Lyriq SUV respectively.
Netflix will not dictate specific storylines to show directors on how to use EVs, but the vehicles will likely be featured as part of a character’s normal daily life, allowing for opportunities to show how to charge them or other technical information.
GM’s Wahl said entertainment has a huge impact on culture and by making EVs famous on streaming, it will helpto build an EV car culture.
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Contact Jamie L. LaReau: jlareau@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @jlareauan. Read more on General Motors and sign up for our autos newsletter.