Super Bowl LVIII has come and gone, but the memorable commercials that aired during the show will linger in people’s minds for quite some time. This is why companies are willing to spend millions to promote themselves during this highly anticipated event. While car manufacturers have traditionally been a staple of Super Bowl commercials, some have recently reevaluated the value of advertising during the event. Only four carmakers, namely Toyota, BMW, Kia, and Volkswagen, chose to air commercials during this year’s Super Bowl. Despite the hopes of many fans and investors, Tesla did not participate.
Although the number of car companies advertising this year was limited, it did not mean that Super Bowl videos lacked car-related content. This may be why some car companies do not see the need to spend their own money on Super Bowl ads. Tesla experienced a significant increase in searches and sales during last year’s show, even without actively advertising. The mere fact that other carmakers showcased their electric vehicles generated immense interest in Tesla. However, there are also risks associated with not wanting to advertise.
While it may be challenging to overlook Tesla when featuring an autonomous vehicle, as recently seen in Julia Roberts’ movie “Leave the World Behind,” it is not impossible. Popeyes’ latest commercial highlights an autonomous driving vehicle, and it is not a Tesla. In fact, it is a brand that competes with Tesla in the electric vehicle market and has previously been considered an outsider in terms of driver assistance systems. I am referring to Rivian.
The focus of this advertisement is on the long-awaited introduction of chicken wings by the fast-food chain, fifty years after its establishment. The punchline, “Popeyes finally has wings,” makes it clear why the commercial is titled “The Wait is Over.” The commercial features Ken Jeong, who plays a man cryogenically frozen in 1972 and thawed out in the present day to savor Popeyes’ new product. As the commercial progresses, Ken explores the marvels of the modern world, including delivery drones, robotic vacuums, massage chairs, and, of course, self-driving cars.
Around forty seconds into the commercial, we witness a distressed Ken seated in the passenger’s seat of a Rivian R1S, with no one occupying the driver’s seat. This humorous scene is ironic considering that the EV startup has not expressed intentions to develop self-driving vehicles. Instead, Rivian focuses on offering adaptive cruise control features (Driver+) and includes lane centering in its Highway Assists feature. The latter is somewhat comparable to Tesla’s Basic Autopilot, although it is often considered to be inferior.
The fact that Popeyes chose Rivian over Tesla, despite Rivian’s EVs lacking autonomous driving capabilities, demonstrates the tarnished image of the Tesla brand in recent times. Fewer companies want to be associated with Tesla due to the controversial opinions expressed by Elon Musk on X (formerly known as Twitter).
According to the Source autoevolution.com