Watch Ram’s racy Super Bowl ad about ‘premature electrification’ and Jeep's ‘Electric Boogie’ with dancing animals

Ram’s 60-second Super Bowl ad, called “Premature Electrification,” uses sexual innuendos and a style that mocks pharmaceutical advertising in a move to plug its forthcoming electric Ram 1500 REV pickup truck. Jeep, meantime, is promoting its electric models using a remix of the reggae classic “Electric Boogie” with an assist from Shaggy on the vocals and a cast of animals dancing their way through the spot.

The two ads from parent company Stellantis are by Chicago-based agency Highdive and were released this morning, hours before the Super Bowl. 

The lighthearted approach marks a departure for the automaker, and its Global Chief Marketing Officer Olivier Francois, who is known to use the Super Bowl to make sweeping commentaries on social issues. There have been exceptions—Bill Murray reprised his “Groundhog Day” role for a funny Jeep ad in 2020, for instance.

Stellantis dives head-first into comedy with this year’s two-ad lineup and, in the case of the Ram ad, adult bedroom humor—so much so that the brand opted to run it in the fourth quarter when many kids are (theoretically) no longer awake and watching the game.

Francois—who has overseen Super Bowl classics such as Ram’s “Farmer” in 2013 and Chrysler's “Halftime in America” (2012) and “Born of Fire” (2011)—suggested that this year, Americans are not in the mood for something heavy. They want “comedic relief,” he said, noting the hardships of the past several years, running from COVID to rising inflation.

“The work of a marketer is to smell what is in the air, what a customer wants,” he said, adding that “I don’t expect a lot of heavy commercials” in the game, “because the world has been heavy on us.”

Indeed, an overwhelming majority of brands are going for laughs this year.

Read more: Super Bowl 2023 commercials released so far

Ram tackles performance issues

In the case of Ram, the brand is using racy humor to drive early interest in the Ram 1500 REV pickup truck, which is not slated to go on sale until late 2024. Other automakers have already come out with electric trucks, including Ford (with its F-150 Lightning on sale now) and Chevrolet (with its Silverado EV that is taking orders).

Ram, with its ad, takes a subtle shot at those competitors by using bedroom humor to suggest that its EV will be worth the wait.

The spot draws parallels between not being able to perform in the bedroom (mostly performing too soon) and anxieties truck buyers might have about buying an electric pickup. Comedic actor Jason Jones (formerly of “The Daily Show”) stars as the on-screen narrator, listing “symptoms” of the “PE” affliction as several men open up about their issues, alongside their female partners.

“Fearing you might not be able to last as long as you’d like,” for instance, serves as a reference to so-called range anxiety—the fear that an electric vehicle will lose its charge before it gets you where you want to go. In another scene, a disappointed woman looks on at her man as Jones lists another symptom—“being unsure if you have enough power to handle your payload.”

The ad ends by directing viewers to a website, RamREV.com, to learn more about the new electric pickup, which Jones states “has options being designed to extend range in satisfying ways.” Ram is using the ad to launch a paid membership program called “Rev Insider.” In exchange for $100, members get to reserve a place in line to pre-order the vehicle, as well as get “exclusive access to events, news, and information about the Ram 1500 REV.”

While the spot is playful, it does risk alienating viewers by downplaying what is a serious condition for some people. Francois acknowledged that “anything you do in the Big Game is a little bit more scrutinized than when you do it elsewhere,” but said that ad was intended to be “a spoof of pharmaceutical ads—something American audiences see in abundance on TV.”

Francois has explored this terrain before: Stellantis-owned Fiat in the 2015 Super Bowl ran an ad called “Blue Pill” that spoofed a Viagra ad.

Jeep’s animal sequel

Jeep’s ad, which is set to air in the first half, has more innocent fun. With the help of special effects from production company The Mill, the spot shows animals including elephants, giraffes, meerkats, a walrus, a snake and a sloth dancing to a remake of the “Electric Boogie” alongside two electric Jeeps—the Wrangler 4xe and Grand Cherokee 4xe. It is intended to promote the fact that the EVs can “operate in nature in virtual silence,” according to a press release.

The remake was recorded by Jamaican Reggae artist and producer Shaggy and Marcia Griffiths, also of Jamaica. Griffiths' 1983 version of the song, as well as a later remix, propelled it into widespread popularity, including as the soundtrack for the “Electric Side” line dance that is frequently performed at weddings. The song was written by Bunny Wailer (of Bob Marley and the Wailers) in the 1970s.

Jeep plans to distribute the song on music streaming platforms, while also encouraging viewers to perform the “Electric Slide” on TikTok, plugging the hashtag “#Jeep4xeBoogieWoogie.” The brand joins several other advertisers attempting to extend the reach of their pricey Super Bowl ads on the popular video app.

As for the ad, Francois described it as a sequel to Jeep’s “Earth Odyssey” ad from last year, which was also from Highdive and plugged EVs by using animal noises for a rendition of the theme song from “2001: A Space Odyssey.”

Francois said Jeep actually considered running “Earth Odyssey” in last year’s Super Bowl (which Stellantis ended up sitting out). The idea for the sequel came easily, he said: “They were singing, these animals, so now let's make them dance.” 

But when it came to the soundtrack, the brand wanted to be respectful of the song’s Jamaican roots. “While we are creating our new version of the song together with Shaggy,” Jeep wanted to keep it authentic, which is why it lined up Griffiths as a collaborator, Francois said. 

“Everyone hopefully will relate,” he said, stressing that it is “not just 60 seconds of music” in an ad, but a single that is going to be released with a music video.