The first of Super Bowl 50's two minute-long Jeep ads with an epic sweep, both designed to promote the brand's 75th anniversary, "Portraits" looks largely backwards. The spot, via Cheil Worldwide's Iris New York, uses 60 images from around the world, including photos of famous people whom Fiat Chrysler said have links to Jeep, such as Marilyn Monroe, Jeff Goldblum and BB King. It also weaves in references to Jeep's 1941 roots as a military vehicle created for Allied soldiers in World War II. Also shown are pop culture references linked to Jeep, including movies like "The Terminator."
Monroe -- who also starred posthumously in a Snickers ad in the same Super Bowl ("Marilyn") -- is connected to Jeep via a honeymoon trip she took to Korea with Joe DiMaggio in the wake of the Korean War. The couple rode in a Jeep, according to FCA. Goldblum, who also starred in a Super Bowl 50 ad for Apartments.com ("Moving Day"), rode in a Jeep in "Jurassic Park."
"It's a global community formed in 1941 that has made the Jeep brand what it is today -- from the brave soldiers of World War II, to boundary breaking mavericks of the past and the trailblazers of the present -- every person has an incredible story to tell about how the Jeep has enabled them to see, feel and do," FCA said in a statement.
For all the historical perspective and black-and-white images, however, "Portraits" uses vertical video, deliberately giving up the width of the giant widescreens millions of viewers were using on Super Bowl Sunday, partly for distinctive effect and partly to maximize the ad's effectiveness on smartphones' vertical screens.
The other Jeep spot, "4x4ever," took a more upbeat approach.
Iris group creative director: Sean Reynolds. Associate creative director/art director: Marcus Liwag. Executive creative director: Lisa Bright. Copywriter: Winston Noel. Designer: Nicole Monzon. Designer: David Penn. Head of planning: Dipti Bramhandkar. Account manager: Allison Benoit. Executive producer: Guy Quinlan. Music: Kristin Dyrud, Jim Cox.
Production: The Cutting Room, Light of Day, Nice Shoes, Hum Music, Catch & Release.
Editorial: Cutting Room. Editor: Merritt Duff. Mix: Walter Bianco. Executive producer: Melissa Lubin. Managing partner/producer: Susan Willis. Post production: Light of Day. Creative director/Flame artists. Colin Stackpole.
BRAND: Jeep
YEAR: 2016
AGENCY: Iris
SUPERBOWL: 50
QUARTER AIRED: Halftime