In a generally weak year for Super Bowl commercials, Jeeps stood out for being particularly obnoxious and tone-deaf. Called The Middle, left-wing political activist and world-famous singer Bruce Springsteen narrated and starred in the ad about how the country has been divided, but now it has a bright future as the ReUnited States of America.
While advertisements that appeal to virtues in order to increase sales and profits can work see Toyotas beautiful ad about the joy in adopting a child with special needs this one fell flat and faced mockery and opposition from many viewers. Here are the three main reasons the ad didnt work.
Many Americans love Springsteens music. His successful career has spanned four decades. Many liberals love that he shares their political views and works so hard as a political activist. Springsteen, like so many other wealthy celebrities, regularly speaks ill of Republican voters and politicians.
Just before the 2020 election, Springsteen called for an exorcism in our nations capital as dark music played on his radio show. Of Trumps presidency, he said, I thought it was a fing nightmare, but it was true. The episode, titled Farewell To The Thief, also insulted President Trumps family.
The 71-year-old Springsteen told Australians that he would leave the United States and move there if Trump was re-elected.
Springsteens posture against Republicans is well known and goes back decades. He was angry at President Ronald Reagans positive mention of Springsteens Born In The U.S.A. He endorsed and campaigned for John Kerry, Barack Obama, and Joe Biden.
Of President George W. Bush in 2008, Springsteen said the United States was now suffering the consequences of eight years of rule by a very radical group of people who pushed things in a very radical direction, had great success in moving things in that direction, and we are suffering the consequences. By 2016, he was calling President Trump a moron. In 2017 he bashed Trump in a protest song.
As one Twitter user put it, Thats all I could think of, the whole spot. Being preached to by someone who doesnt respect my views who relishes in suppressing them, having the nerve to pretend to be my community and declare unity. They have no idea how transparently cynical the whole thing came across.
The ad began with images of a tiny Christian chapel in the middle of the continental United States. The chapel, which seats maybe a half dozen, features a cross on top of a map of the United States that is painted like the American flag.
Later Springsteens narration uses biblical imagery evocative of the Old Testament journey of the Jews to the promised land: So, we can get there. We can make it to the mountaintop, through the desert, and we will cross this divide. Springsteen says that the chapel is for all, which is undoubtedly true, but its very particular religious imagery to be used in service of car sales.
While lefties began claiming that Springsteen was endorsing Christian nationalism, others felt that Jeep was using our religion and God to mock us.
The ad featured the Springsteen, who is extremely well known for being from New Jersey, wearing a cowboy hat and boots, small earrings in each ear. He appeared to have continued his regular upkeep of plastic surgery. The overall effect was one of cosplay rather than authenticity.
A Jeep with no top on in the middle of what seemed to be a particularly frigid time in Kansas drove down a dismal road. No Jeep owner would do such a thing.In general, the images were frosty, cold, and dark.
The final image was a map of the continental United States minus, for inexplicable reasons, the upper peninsula of Michigan. In the center was a red star, an image historically associated with communism and more recently with socialism.
The middle has been a hard place to get to lately, Springsteen said at the beginning of the ad. The end features the text, To The ReUnited States Of America.
What made the United States divided until recently, the viewer might ask. Why, according to Jeep, is the country reunited now?
For 74 million Trump-voting Americans who lived through four years of epithets and refusal by elites such as Springsteen to treat the president of the United States as legitimate, its not hard to see why the ad is going over like a lead balloon. One reason the middle has been a hard place to get to is because of wealthy and powerful people like Springsteen spewing hatred toward Republican presidents and their voters dating back to the 1980s.
Joe Biden, after winning a narrow election that came down to about 40,000 votes in three states, began asking the media to run with the narrative that he was a unifier. They dutifully did so, even as he signed radical executive orders and moved not one bit to the center but further and further to the left.
Corporate media, who have ignored or mocked concerns about election integrity despite the widespread sloppiness and rampant mail-in balloting associated with the 2020 election, have cheered on the crackdown of protesters in or near a riot at the nations capitol. They did so after spending months defending and contextualizing violent riots from the left that seized cities across the country, attacked federal buildings, killed dozens of Americans, set churches on fire, and terrorized small business owners.
How could a major corporation not see how propagandistic it comes off to suggest that when Republicans win a national election, thats divisive, but when Democrats win one, thats unifying? The corporate-approved approach is to paper over disagreement while Democrats hold power while amplifying a full-on #Resistance when Republicans are in power.
Jeep sales will not heal the fabric of the country. Jeep ads cant even help toward that goal so long as they are using dishonest and manipulative partisan framing in service of car sales.
Link:
- Trump Fight On COVID Bill Shows Strength Of Conservative Populism - The Federalist [Last Updated On: December 26th, 2020] [Originally Added On: December 26th, 2020]
- Report: Infants Born Alive During Botched Abortions In Texas In 2019 - The Federalist [Last Updated On: December 26th, 2020] [Originally Added On: December 26th, 2020]
- 8 Of The Craziest Items In The $900 Billion COVID Blue-State Bailout Bill - The Federalist [Last Updated On: December 26th, 2020] [Originally Added On: December 26th, 2020]
- We Must Ban These Christmas Classics To Please The Wokesters - The Federalist [Last Updated On: December 26th, 2020] [Originally Added On: December 26th, 2020]
- Josh Hawley Was The Exact Sort Of Prick Youd Imagine Him To Be At Yale Law School - Above the Law [Last Updated On: January 9th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 9th, 2021]
- GOP Lawmakers Have A Point: Americans Need To Trust Elections - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 9th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 9th, 2021]
- The Year Another Capitol Siege Almost Took Place on the Hill - Governing [Last Updated On: January 9th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 9th, 2021]
- I lost a law school election to Josh Hawley. I moved on then, and he should now on Trump. - USA TODAY [Last Updated On: January 9th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 9th, 2021]
- Trump Calls For Peace As Riot Roils Capitol: 'You Have To Go Home Now' - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 9th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 9th, 2021]
- Devin Nunes Tells The Truth Until It Hurts - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 9th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 9th, 2021]
- Democrat Pastor Ends Congressional Prayer With 'Amen And A-Woman' - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 9th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 9th, 2021]
- Why Georgia's May Be The Most Important Election In Recent History - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 9th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 9th, 2021]
- Maxine Waters: Trump Is Creating A 'Civil War' And Must Be Prosecuted - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 9th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 9th, 2021]
- The Tipping Point: What Drove People To Riot At The Capitol? - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 9th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 9th, 2021]
- Biden Calls Hawley And Cruz Nazis Who Are 'Part Of The Big Lie' - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 9th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 9th, 2021]
- No Police Officers Will Be Charged In Kenosha Shooting Of Jacob Blake - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 9th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 9th, 2021]
- Somalias 2021 elections and the threats of federalism | Daily Sabah - Daily Sabah [Last Updated On: January 9th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 9th, 2021]
- Watch Obama And Clinton Support Objection To The 2005 Certification - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 9th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 9th, 2021]
- Ridiculing Election Fraud Concerns Will Not Make Them Go Away - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 9th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 9th, 2021]
- Michael Flynn And Sidney Powell Are Permanently Banned From Twitter - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 9th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 9th, 2021]
- Why it's time for state IT to have a 'federalist moment' - StateScoop [Last Updated On: January 9th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 9th, 2021]
- Left Won't Be Satisfied Until Conservatives Smear Trump Voters As Bigots - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 9th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 9th, 2021]
- Facebook Will Ban And Delete All Photos And Videos Of Capitol Riots - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 9th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 9th, 2021]
- The Capitol Riot Will Hurt The People Who Were Already Hurting Most - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 9th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 9th, 2021]
- Listen To Rush Limbaugh On The Federalist's Capitol Hill Coverage - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 9th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 9th, 2021]
- Georgia Confirms The Pre-Trump GOP Is Dead And Gone - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 9th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 9th, 2021]
- Twitter Just Nuked The Account Of The World's Biggest Critic Of Big Tech And China - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 9th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 9th, 2021]
- Your Monthly Reminder That Nikki Haley Is A Social-Climbing Opportunist - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 9th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 9th, 2021]
- Dems With COVID Voted For Pelosi, Then Blamed GOP For Infections - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 13th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 13th, 2021]
- Democrats Are Using The Recent Capitol Riot To Consolidate Power - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 13th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 13th, 2021]
- Federalist Publisher: Big Tech Colluding to Destroy Conservative Speech - WBAP News/Talk [Last Updated On: January 13th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 13th, 2021]
- The election that foreshadowed 2020 - Newsday [Last Updated On: January 13th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 13th, 2021]
- Why Millennials Love To Hate Boomers And Whether It's Deserved - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 13th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 13th, 2021]
- Facebook And Instagram Just Permabanned The US President - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 13th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 13th, 2021]
- The 2020 Election Aftermath Is Not At All Unprecedented In US History - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 13th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 13th, 2021]
- To Win In The Future, Republicans Need To Move On From Trump - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 13th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 13th, 2021]
- The Biggest Gun Forum Just Kicked Off The Internet Without Explanation - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 13th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 13th, 2021]
- Democrat Wants To Put Josh Hawley And Ted Cruz On The No-Fly List - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 13th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 13th, 2021]
- Andrew Yang Can't Imagine The Reality New Yorkers Face - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 13th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 13th, 2021]
- A Divisive Impeachment Will Only Make Trump A Martyr - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 13th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 13th, 2021]
- 'Mandalorian' Star Gina Carano Takes Us Behind The Scenes, Explains Her Politics - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 13th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 13th, 2021]
- In Modern Storytelling, 'Mank' Is A Beautiful Blast From The Past - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 19th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 19th, 2021]
- 8 Strategies For Exiting The Biden Years Stronger Than The Right Went In - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 19th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 19th, 2021]
- Why School Choice Isn't Enough To Really Improve American Education - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 19th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 19th, 2021]
- Disney And Marvel's 'WandaVision' Is As Fun As It Is Weird - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 19th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 19th, 2021]
- Unity has long been a theme, and anxiety, for new presidents - ABC News [Last Updated On: January 19th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 19th, 2021]
- Attorney and Federalist Society member sounds alarm about 'progressive tide' in small towns - Yahoo News [Last Updated On: January 19th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 19th, 2021]
- Hemingway: Leaders Should Be Wary Of Post-9/11 Style Crackdown - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 19th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 19th, 2021]
- Illinois Dem With #MeToo History Could Be The Next State House Speaker - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 19th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 19th, 2021]
- Russell Crowe Is Right, If You Think 'Master And Commander' Is Boring, You Need To Grow Up - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 19th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 19th, 2021]
- March For Life Cancelled As Abortion Extremist Descends On White House - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 19th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 19th, 2021]
- Andrew Yang Used To Champion Ideas. Now He Is A Boring Democrat - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 19th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 19th, 2021]
- Twitter CEO Says Censorship Will Be 'Much Bigger' Than The Trump Ban - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 19th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 19th, 2021]
- Dems Say GOP Lawmakers Gave 'Reconnaissance' Capitol Tours. Where's The Evidence? - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 19th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 19th, 2021]
- What Jefferson And Lincoln Say About National Unity In Dark Times - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 19th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 19th, 2021]
- One Student's First-Person Account Of The Rally That Turned Into A Riot - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 19th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 19th, 2021]
- MSNBC's Joy Reid Calls For 'De-Baathification' Of The GOP - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 19th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 19th, 2021]
- A Second Trump Impeachment Ensures The GOP Will Never Be The Same - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 19th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 19th, 2021]
- Politico's Ben Shapiro Freakout Is An Illustration Of A Much Bigger Problem - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 19th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 19th, 2021]
- The Nuclear Energy Tech Of The Past Four Years Will Blow Your Mind - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 19th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 19th, 2021]
- How Big Government And Big Tech Conspire Against Voters - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 19th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 19th, 2021]
- Trump Set To Leave Office With A Higher Approval Rating Than Bush - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 19th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 19th, 2021]
- Of Course We Don't Need A 9/11-Style Commission On The Capitol Riots - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 25th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 25th, 2021]
- Chris Wallace: Biden's Speech Is 'Best Inaugural Address I've Ever Heard' - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 25th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 25th, 2021]
- Column: Political Ambitions Leave Nation Struggling to Move Forward - Southern Pines Pilot [Last Updated On: January 25th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 25th, 2021]
- Why Are Vaccinated Members Of Congress Still Wearing Masks? - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 25th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 25th, 2021]
- Book excerpt: seditions and insurrections are inseparable from politics - Orange County Breeze [Last Updated On: January 25th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 25th, 2021]
- Why Does Biden Have A Bust Of A Union Radical In The Oval Office? - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 25th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 25th, 2021]
- Rand Paul: I'm Not Going To Listen To Comey, He Should Be In Prison. - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 25th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 25th, 2021]
- Senate Can Convict Trump After He's Out. Would That Be Prudent? - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 25th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 25th, 2021]
- Biden, Harris Release Statement Celebrating Killing Babies In The Womb - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 25th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 25th, 2021]
- Why Calling China's Genocide What It Is Really Matters Federalist #3 - 2 hours ago - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 25th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 25th, 2021]
- From The Tea Party To Trump: Reflections On The Eve Of Inauguration - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 25th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 25th, 2021]
- Amanda Gorman's Inauguration Poem Shows What The Left Truly Believes - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 25th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 25th, 2021]
- Biden Follows 'Unity' Speech With 48 Hours Of Divisive Social Policy - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 25th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 25th, 2021]
- DC Elite Used National Guard As Props, Questioned Their Loyalty, Then Made Them Sleep In Parking Garage - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 25th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 25th, 2021]
- Reshaped By Trump, Our Institutions Will Hobble Into The Biden Era - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 25th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 25th, 2021]
- Things Are Beginning To Unravel On 'WandaVision' - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 25th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 25th, 2021]
- Day One, Biden Destroys Girls' Sports With Anti-Science Executive Order - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 25th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 25th, 2021]
- Biden Plans To Put Big Tech In Charge Of Its Own Regulation - The Federalist [Last Updated On: January 25th, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 25th, 2021]