Ford Sits Out 2024 Super Bowl While Others Spend Big On Ads

February 9, 2024 1:24 pm

Back in 2021, Ford chose to forgo paying for Super Bowl ads and instead decided to focus its marketing efforts on the world’s recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic – though ultimately, it came as no surprise given the fact that prior to that, Ford hadn’t broadcast a national advertisement during the big game since 2017. The following June, Ford CEO Jim Farley noted that the company simply didn’t feel like the return on that type of investment was worth it, and the automaker’s cross-town rival, General Motors, followed suit last year. As Ford Authority reported last month, Ford, GM, and Stellantis will all be sitting out the 2024 Super Bowl, but that isn’t necessarily the case with some of their rivals, according to Automotive News.

While the Detroit Big Three is “riding the bench” for the 2024 Super Bowl, Toyota, BMW, Kia, and Volkswagen are all investing heavily in pricey ads for the incredibly popular televised event, which routinely attracts millions of eyeballs to some of the more clever ads of the year. Toyota, in particular, is keen to show off the redesigned 2024 Tacoma – a direct Ford Ranger rival – which has lost considerable market share as of late – going from nearly 66 percent in 2013 to 45 percent in 2023.

Meanwhile, BMW is partnering with actor Christopher Walken and musician Usher to will show off its new all-electric i5, Kia the brand new EV9, and Volkswagen is celebrating 75 years in the U.S. with a spot called “an American love story.” At the same time, the Detroit Big Three are choosing to reel in their marketing budgets in what are difficult times for the industry as a whole – not to mention financially difficult negotiations with the United Auto Workers (UAW) union last fall.

“If you don’t have the right inventory situation or production situation, plus there’s the optics of spending a lot of money on the Big Game when you’ve just gotten through somewhat bruising negotiations with your union partners, it’s a smart move to just say, ‘Let’s take a break,’ ” said Kevin Krim, CEO of EDO Inc., an analytics firm that measures online search activity after commercials air.

We’ll have more on Ford’s marketing strategy soon, so be sure and subscribe to Ford Authority for ongoing Ford news coverage.

By Brett Foote

Brett's lost track of all the Fords he's owned over the years and how much he's spent modifying them, but his current money pits include an S550 Mustang and 13th gen F-150.