Will Ferrell Really Hates Norway in New Teasers for GM Super Bowl Commercial
Updated Feb. 3 2021, 1:37 p.m. ET
The Super Bowl is almost upon us, and that means that advertisers and major brands are gearing up for the biggest advertising event of the year. As has been true in recent years, some brands decide to tease their commercials ahead of time, and that's exactly what GM has decided to do. In the new teasers, we see Will Ferrell really hating on Norway for reasons that remain unclear.
Why does Will Ferrell hate Norway in the new GM Super Bowl commercial?
In the teasers, Will Ferrell makes his hatred for Norway clear, and each teaser closes by asking viewers to tune in to the Super Bowl to find out why. In one, he pranks every resident of Norway by sending them a pizza they didn't order. In another, he sings a song in the car about his hatred for Norway, and in the third, he reads awful fake facts from a book titled The History of Norway.
Before the GM ad airs, all we can do is speculate as to the reasons for that hatred. Those with the most information suspect that the ad is part of GM's new "Everybody In" campaign, which is designed to promote the use of electric vehicles by pitching them as safe, fun, and clean. Will Ferrell may hate Norway in part because Norway is ahead of the U.S. when it comes to electric car adoption.
Norway is leading the way on electric cars.
According to a story from The Guardian, Norway became “the first country in the world where the sale of electric cars has overtaken those powered by petrol, diesel and hybrid engines" in 2020. Norway is seeking to end the sale of cars powered by gas and diesel completely by 2025, and the country exempts electric vehicles from some of their taxes on gas and diesel-powered cars.
Not only did Norway reach this milestone in 2020, the pace of electric vehicle purchases increased over the course of the year, suggesting that adoption of the vehicles will only grow in the years ahead. In a country like the U.S., adoption of electric vehicles is not even approaching the same levels. That may explain why Will Ferrell seems to be so angry at Norway and their progress.
GM announced plans to sell only electric cars by 2035.
As part of their push toward electric vehicles, GM's CEO Mary Barra announced that the company aspires to only sell electric vehicles by 2035. It was a move that, when it was announced, shook up the auto industry as manufacturers attempt to understand how quickly the U.S. will move toward electric vehicles. GM clearly wants to be seen as an American leader in this space.
GM's new marketing campaign is likely designed to encourage electric vehicle purchases from GM companies. At the same time, it's also designed to position the company as forward-thinking. GM thinks that the next era of cars are electric, and they don't want to get left behind as the U.S. becomes more and more like Norway.
