- Jeep has introduced a new ad to capitalize on the Super Bowl buzz.
- It stars the redesigned Cherokee and an ill-fated Big Mouth Billy Bass.
- Ad aims to be the “best Big Game commercial that’s not in the Big Game.”
Last month, Stellantis announced it was skipping the Super Bowl to focus their attention on the 250th anniversary of the United States. That was a surprising move, but not an unreasonable one given the soaring cost of airtime.
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According to USA Today, the average price for a 30-second spot is now $8 million, with some climbing above $10 million. That’s a staggering 266-fold increase from the $37,500 average price of a Super Bowl ad back in 1967. Still, the company isn’t sitting on the sidelines entirely.
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Instead, they’re trying to tap into the Super Bowl ad excitement by launching a new commercial starring the 2026 Jeep Cherokee. Called “Billy Goes to the River,” the online spot aims to be the “best Big Game commercial that’s not in the Big Game.”
The AI-infused ad starts with a Big Mouth Billy Bass singing “Take me to the river, drop me in the water.” This sparks a young boy to ask is father to do the fish’s bidding.
They then hop in a Cherokee as the ad promotes its hybrid powertrain, which enables the crossover to return 37 mpg combined. The duo eventually arrive at their destination and set Billy free.
Things then take a hilariously bad turn as Billy swims away, waves goodbye, and is promptly attacked by a bear. It rips Billy apart as he screams in agony.
Billy then blames the boy and his father for killing him, but the bear eventually tosses him aside. After briefly celebrating his survival, an eagle scoops Billy up and flies away with him as he screams. The clip then promotes the Cherokee’s 140 safety features.
The ad will likely garner a lot of attention, saving Stellantis millions of dollars in the process. That’s a win-win scenario and Jeep will be giving away a handful of collectibles on social media.
Stellantis global chief marketing officer, Olivier Francois, said “While we’re not airing a commercial in the Big Game telecast this year, we still wanted to show up with something to say.” He added the ad “delivers humor and a bit of chaos, but always in service of a concrete message.”
As for the 2026 Jeep Cherokee, it starts at $36,995 and features a hybrid powertrain that consists of a turbocharged 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine, two electric motors, a continuously variable transmission, and a 1.08 kWh lithium-ion battery pack. This setup gives the crossover a combined output of 210 hp (157 kW / 213 PS) and 230 lb-ft (312 Nm) of torque.
