GM teams up with Netflix to tout EVs in Super Bowl ad, shows

DETROIT — General Motors and Netflix have created a co-branded Super Bowl ad promoting the companies' collaboration to feature more electric vehicles on screen.

The automaker said a 60-second spot called "EVs on Screen" will air in the second quarter of the Feb. 12 game. It stars actor and comedian Will Ferrell, who will be depicted in multiple Netflix series and films as he rides in some of GM's EVs.

In the ad, the GMC Hummer EV pickup and Sierra Denali EV, Chevrolet Blazer and Silverado EVs, and Cadillac Lyriq will be featured in the film Army of the Dead and the series "Bridgerton," "Squid Game" and "Stranger Things."

Two 15-second teaser spots will be released this week, to be followed by longer 30- and 60-second clips.

"It's really great to have Will Ferrell back in the game," Deborah Wahl, GM's global chief marketing officer, told reporters this week. "We launched with him two years ago when he issued a full challenge to America to beat Norway in terms of EV penetration. We're well on the way to that. And so he was the perfect person to really showcase this next move that we're all making."

Wahl and Netflix CMO Marian Lee said talks about the joint campaign began about a year ago. Both companies called it a long-term partnership without an end date. GM is not paying to put its vehicles in Netflix content, Lee said. Both companies called it a strategic alliance, not a product placement deal.

The companies declined to share the amount of their Super Bowl ad buy or financial details of their partnership. Fox is reportedly charging up to $7 million for 30 seconds of ad time in Super Bowl LVII, according to Ad Age, an affiliate of Automotive News.

GM says the Netflix collaboration builds on its 2021 "Everybody In" campaign that aimed to promote EV adoption and inclusivity around GM's electrification strategy. Netflix is joining the "Everybody In" campaign, Lee said.

Starting last year, the streaming service committed to including at least one EV in every film or series it produces, Lee said. That is part of a wider effort to have directors and producers find natural ways to incorporate EVs into their storylines — Netflix does not dictate specific storylines, she said — and help source vehicles for production.

Lee said the EVs shown in Netflix content will come from multiple brands but that GM's vehicles will appear prominently on screen as part of the collaboration, including in productions beyond the Super Bowl.

"We want to give electric vehicles the stage they deserve. And really, with this partnership and our 'EVs on Screen' campaign, we're showcasing how through entertainment we can actually reflect the change that we see happening in culture," she said. "GM was bold enough to invite us to collaborate on something bigger. They had us asking ourselves, why not more EVs in the stories we tell?"

The automaker will continue to develop vehicle-specific marketing campaigns around new launches, but it will be in combination with its broader approach with Netflix, Wahl said.

"It's the way that, for us, we're looking at doing our marketing moving forward," she said. "It makes sense in how we go about that. And I think you'll see for all of us, the more that we see EVs show up in this type of binge-worthy content, the faster everyone gets used to the change. The more you see charging incorporated into things, I think it really helps people see that and change more quickly."

GM and Netflix worked with ad agencies The Community and McCann on the spot.