LOS ANGELES -- Stellantis' Jeep brand will be back on the Super Bowl next year, according to its top executive.
Bob Broderdorf, head of the Jeep in North America, confirmed the upcoming spot during the automaker's presentation to media at the Los Angeles Auto Show last week.
During an on-stage interview at MediaPost's Marketing: Automotive conference, Stellantis' Rajoielle "Raj" Register said the automaker is engaging in its famous "jump ball" approach to choosing an agency for the spot.
"What it does is it makes you bring your best self every single time," says Register, who is senior vice president and chief marketing officer, North America, Stellantis."And when we do things like Super Bowl or other large campaigns, it gives many agencies an opportunity to give the best idea.
"And with that being said, you can't just come with status quo or something that you brushed off from five years ago," she says. "You have to have something new, fresh and exciting and it's done in a respectful way, but it's an opportunity to give us so much runway to have not only a great idea for now, but sometimes it's something where we say, 'Hey, that might not be right for this thing, but we can use it for this other thing.'"
The approach also prompts the automaker's internal team to step up its game, she says.
"You have to make sure you have the best story, the best angle, the best creative," Register says. "And it's something that I say causes a little bit of churn in certain regards, but it gives us a great amount of respect once we see how things come together."
The iconic SUV brand was last on the Big Game in 2023 with "Electric Boogie," created by Chicago-based agency Highdive. The 60-second spot features species from across the animal kingdom dancing along to "Electric Boogie," which remains a pop culture music staple decades after being released.
Stellantis, which often places multiple spots on the Super Bowl, sat out the game last year due to financial constraints. Fox is reportedly selling 30-second ads for at least $7 million each on Super Bowl LIX, which is Feb. 9.
Register also gave the audience a sneak peek of a rough cut for an upcoming Dodge campaign for its electric Charger sports car, which is set to break in early December.
The tongue-in-cheek spot pokes fun at the high-horse approach a lot of electric vehicle spots take.
"What I've noticed in industry is many of the EV campaigns look very, very similar," Register says. "And when we think about the opportunity we have with Dodge, we are not losing the grit and soul of what that brand brings to market. The performance is better than the [gas-powered] vehicle, and why not have some fun with it? It is a Dodge that just happens to be electric and that campaign is very spot on to that particular core group."