Isuzu took to the expensive airtime of Super Bowl XXIX in 1995 (average price for 30 seconds: $1.1 million) to make the most of its victory the year before in the Paris-Dakar Rally, when its Trooper truck won in the Marathon class. “Every year the people of North Africa bear witness to the grueling Paris-Dakar Rally,” the voiceover says, as locals are shown expertly evaluating a new Trooper passing through.
After a cancellation in 2008 due to security concerns, the annual Rally was relocated to South America.
Isuzu, for its part, hadn't been to the Super Bowl since 1987, when it was represented by Joe Isuzu, a fictional spokesman with a penchant for lying ("Paradise").
BRAND: Isuzu
YEAR: 1995
AGENCY: Goodby, Silverstein & Partners
SUPERBOWL: XXXIX
QUARTER AIRED: Q3
