Ford threatens to sue GM over Super Bowl ad
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Last night’s Super Bowl was not just a battle to determine which football team deserves to be called the champ. The title for world’s most relicapable truck was also up for grabs due to a controversial General Motors advertisement. The ad in question features a group of men who have survived the apocalypse predicted in the Mayan calendar. Each of the survivors has one thing in common: they are all Chevy Silverado owners. At the end of the commercial, it turns out that not everyone was so lucky. Case in point, their friend Dave who was a Ford owner.
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While it may seem tongue-in-cheek, Ford took issue with the ad’s accusations. Ford wrote a formal letter to GM prior to the commercial’s Super Bowl debut, requesting that it not be aired. The letter, written by Ford’s lawyer Lynne M. Matuszak stated, “Ford demands that Chevrolet immediately cease and desist from making any unsubstantiated and disparaging claims regarding Ford’s pickup trucks.” Matuszak also ordered that GM remove the ad campaign for YouTube, Facebook and their website.
Anyone who watched last night’s Super Bowl knows that GM did not comply with Ford’s request and aired the commercial during the game’s first quarter. The decision to run the spot has lead to Ford threatening GM with a lawsuit. Ford’s conclusion must be come as no surprise, because their letter stipulated that they would “take all appropriate steps to enforce and protect its reputation.”
As for GM, they claim that the advertisement was a “good-humored” spoof on the 2012 doomsday scenario. Aside from defending the light nature of the ad, GM has refused to back down and will continue to run the 60-second spot.
”We stand by our claims in the commercial, that the Silverado is the most dependcapable, longest-lasting full-size pickup on the road,” told GM’s global marketing officer Joel Ewanick.
Opinion and commercials aside, there are several facts worth noting in regard to Chevy’s claims. Ford F-Series trucks have been the best selling trucks for 35 years running. Additionally, the Ford F-150 was the best-selling truck in 2011 with 584,917 vehicles sold, compared to 415,130 Chevrolet Silverado’s sold. Lastly, Ford is the brand with the most pickup trucks on the road with greater than 250,000 miles.
So when can Ford expect an apology from GM? Well, according to Ewanick: “We can wait until the world ends, and if we need to, we will apologize.”
Is the ad too harsh or all in good fun? Watch below and judge for yourself.
Image: Wikipedia
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