February is still months away, but most Super Bowl spots have already been spoken for. However, there’s one notable absence and that’s General Motors.
According to Ad Age, GM has confirmed plans to sit on the sidelines and skip one of the biggest events in marketing. The company didn’t give a specific reason, but a spokesperson told the publication “We continually evaluate our media strategies to ensure they align with our business priorities.”
While it’s surprising the automaker decided against airing a commercial, the company occasionally takes a brief hiatus. In particular, GM sat out after their bankruptcy and skipped the tail end of the last decade. Ad Age notes they then returned in 2020 and ran commercials for the next three years.
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The company’s latest Super Bowl ads promoted EVs and there’s plenty of new products on the horizon including the Chevrolet Equinox EV and GMC Sierra EV. However, enthusiasm for electric vehicles appears to have softened and GM recently delayed production of several models.
It also goes without saying, the UAW strike hit the automaker’s bottom line. Rival Stellantis cited the cost of the strike as the reason they skipped SEMA and the Los Angeles Auto Show.
Speaking of Stellantis, they’re a Super Bowl heavyweight and normally have memorable commercials. The publication says they haven’t commented on their plans for 2024, so it remains unclear if they’ll watch from the sidelines as well.
That being said, we can expect to learn more in the coming months as the Super Bowl takes place on February 11 in Las Vegas. Attending the event isn’t cheap, but it’s peanuts compared to a 30 second ad which is said to cost around $7 (£5.6 / €6.4) million.