Let us get this straight. We have a Jeep, which is a vehicle we love. We have Bill Murray as Phil Connors from one of our all-time favorite comedies, Groundhog Day?!!!!!! And there’s a flippin’ groundhog?! Call this our number one spot now.
For Super Bowl, Jeep debuted a 60-second spot this morning starring Murray reprising his role as the misanthropic weatherman from the iconic Harold Ramis film.
From AOR, Highdive in Chicago, The spot opens as the clock turns 6:00 a.m. “I Got You Babe” by Sonny & Cher starts playing, replicating the scene from the film. Phil Connors himself suddenly sits upright in bed. Twenty-seven years later, he’s stuck in Punxsutawney once again. Watch below:
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“This is my first commercial. I’m glad I did it with you (Jeep),” said Bill Murray. “And I’m glad that this is my last commercial, as well.”
“In my wildest dreams, any advertiser’s dream, really, could you dare to believe that Bill Murray would agree to be in your Super Bowl commercial, and on top of that, ask him to relive his iconic role in ‘Groundhog Day’?,” said Olivier Francois, Chief Marketing Officer, FCA. “How do you even have that make sense and not be forced? Magic first happened when I had the incredible luck to meet Bill in person a few years ago, and I knew then that he was perfect for Jeep. Because like Jeep, Bill is a free spirit, he intentionally seeks out ways to find adventure and live an extraordinary life.”
The Jeep brand worked closely with Sony Pictures to ensure authenticity with the original film. Locations featured in the commercial include the original bed-and-breakfast where Bill Murray’s character Phil Connors wakes up every morning; the Town Square where the Groundhog Day Festival takes place in the original movie; and the restaurant in Woodstock, IL where Bill Murray’s character toasts to “world peace” in the original movie. Additional facts about the film set can be found here.
SOURCE: Jeep
Contact Colin Costello at colin@reel360.com or follow him on Twitter at @colinthewriter1
