The Super Bowl is one advertising’s biggest stages, where the biggest brands make big ads and bold statements. Super Bowl commercials are often shaped by the cultural and economic mood of the moment, with themes of patriotism often displayed during uncertain times and fun and fantasy during stronger economic times. In this comparison, we manage to get both!
Notably in 2025, only two car manufacturers ran Super Bowl ads, Jeep and Ram. Each brand aired commercials that used celebrities to enhance brand associations and were based on narrative storytelling, but they took very different approaches in terms of tone and execution, with one introspective and the other very playful.
Most mature product categories have engrained communication conventions that brand leaders tend to follow. So it’s always interesting to compare and contrast Super Bowl commercials in the same category to see if they are following, or indeed, breaking these conventions (which is Step 2 of a ‘Winning Creative Strategy’).
Jeep – “Owner’s Manual”
Jeep’s commercial, titled “Owner’s Manual,” stars Harrison Ford and delivers a reflective message about life and personal choices. Ford narrates, “Life doesn’t come with an owner’s manual – you have to write your own,” aligning this idea with the freedom associated with Jeep ownership. The ad features scenic landscapes, plenty of car driving scenes across the model range with typical SUV category themes of exploration and individualism. While filmic and beautifully shot, the commercial lilts along without many surprises until the killer end line. “Choose what makes you happy. My friends, my family, my work make me happy. This Jeep makes me happy…even though my name is Ford.” Firmly anchored in category conventions, the commercial succeeds, not by differentiating or breaking the rules, but by improving on them with the unexpected choice of celebrity and its cinematic production.
Ram Trucks – “Goldilocks and the Three Trucks”
Ram’s 2025 Super Bowl ad takes a lighter, more playful approach with a fantasy remake of Goldilocks and the Three Bears. Taking a similar celebrity approach to Jeep, RAM uses Glen Powell to step into the role of Goldilocks, test-driving three different Ram models. It’s a creatively clever approach for showing a range story, across petrol, hybrid and EV models, that was undoubtedly a key feature of the client brief. RAM’s storyline is light hearted and entertaining and totally over the top in terms of the scenes and action. While seemingly breaking from category conventions with its absurd action the commercial does contain plenty of driving shots across the three models leaving no doubt that this is a car ad.
One Verdict
USA TODAY runs one of the more recognised Super Bowl ad rankings—its Ad Meter—where over 175,000 viewers rate every commercial on a scale of 1 to 5 (with 5 being the most favourable). Out of the 57 commercials aired this year, Jeep came in 12th with a score of 3.31, while Ram placed 19th with 3.16. For context, the top-ranked ad—Budweiser’s First Delivery—scored 3.56, while the least popular came in at just 1.85.
Conclusion
While Jeep and Ram took very different creative paths, both remained anchored in familiar category conventions. We still saw the staple ‘driving shots’, a clear ‘range story’ featuring multiple models, celebrity talent, and a narrative-led approach to brand storytelling. Where they differ is in tone and intent. Jeep leans into serious themes of freedom and heroism. Ram, on the other hand, opts for lightness, using a modern fairy tale to make the brand more approachable.
What remains to be seen is which approach tapped more successfully into the cultural mood of the moment, and which will resonate longer-term.
Want to explore this kind of creative decision-making in more detail?
Download Perrycallan’s free e-book – The Six Unmissable Steps for a Winning Creative Strategy – and dive deeper into Step 2: deciding whether to follow or break category conventions.