Bruce Springsteen leads Jeep’s campaign in Super Bowl advertisement

Bruce Springsteen joined the Jeep brand to launch a two-minute film The Middle, which will make a one-time television appearance during tonight's Super Bowl. The campaign debuts nearly 10 years to the day from the launch of the “Imported from Detroit" campaign.

Springsteen was intimately involved in creating “The Middle" and worked closely with longtime director Thom Zimny. He wrote and produced the original score with frequent collaborator Ron Aniello.

The commercial showcased two iconic Jeep vehicles - a 1980 Jeep CJ-5 and a 1965 CJ-5 with Willy’s badging.

Olivier Francois, Global Chief Marketing Officer for Stellantis, said, “The Middle is a celebration of the Jeep brand’s 80-year anniversary and, more timely, it is a call to all Americans to come together and seek common ground as we look collectively to the road ahead. Bruce Springsteen was instrumental in crafting this joint message. His experiences and perspective have often been called upon to bridge a divide. Now seems to be a time when a message like this is greatly needed."

Bruce Springsteen’s manager Jon Landau said, “Olivier Francois and I have been discussing ideas for the last 10 years and when he showed us the outline for ‘The Middle,’ our immediate reaction was, ‘Let’s do it.’ Our goal was to do something surprising, relevant, immediate and artful. I believe that’s just what Bruce has done with ‘The Middle’."

"From 'Imported from Detroit' and 'Halftime in America' to 'Farmer,' and most recently 'Groundhog Day,' we have looked at making meaningful and emotional connections with millions of viewers, with cultural relevancy at the core of our communication," said Olivier Francois, Global Chief Marketing Officer, Stellantis.

Over the last decade, the Jeep, Dodge and Ram brands have evoked aspirational messaging in their Big Game campaign efforts. While “Imported from Detroit" spoke to the grit, ingenuity and determination of the American (Detroit) automotive workforce in 2011, the following year “Halftime in America" sought to galvanise Americans going through challenging times, with Clint Eastwood stating, “This country can't be knocked out in one punch. We get back up again." Then, in 2013, the Ram brand launched “Farmer," acknowledging and honouring American farmers through the iconic words of legendary radio personality Paul Harvey.