Hyundai may be an official sponsor of the NFL, but Jeep was a great fit as a source of commercials for Super Bowl 50.
Think about it. The game brought two different teams together. Both of them had the same goal. So did Jeep’s pair of contrasting commercials.
The company ran two spots, each one completely unlike the other. The “Portraits” commercial is a mostly serious look back at the people Jeep vehicles have transported over the years and the historical events in which they’ve taken part and made possible – all in black and white. Jeep doesn’t need to show the special greens in which it’s covering its 75th anniversary models. The photos convey Jeep’s rich history and the feelings of pride and independence its rigs inspire perfectly.
The second commercial, “4x4ever,” is a livelier, lighter-hearted anthem about not only Jeep’s decades of off-road dominance, but what you can – and should – do in a Jeep.
Both spots were driving at the same goal line: communicating that Jeep’s rich 75-year history and future of doing incredible things has been and will be made possible by the adventurous people behind the wheels of its vehicles. Without a doubt, many people in Colorado are celebrating right now. If you listen really hard, you should be able to hear corks popping in Ohio and Michigan, too.
Derek Shiekhi's father raised him on cars. As a boy, Derek accompanied his dad as he bought classics such as post-WWII GM trucks and early Ford Mustang convertibles.
After loving cars for years and getting a bachelor's degree in Business Management, Derek decided to get an associate degree in journalism. His networking put him in contact with the editor of the Austin-American Statesman newspaper, who hired him to write freelance about automotive culture and events in Austin, Texas in 2013. One particular story led to him getting a certificate for learning the foundations of road racing.
While watching TV with his parents one fateful evening, he saw a commercial that changed his life. In it, Jeep touted the Wrangler as the Texas Auto Writers Association's "SUV of Texas." Derek knew he had to join the organization if he was going to advance as an automotive writer. He joined the Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA) in 2014 and was fortunate to meet several nice people who connected him to the representatives of several automakers and the people who could give him access to press vehicles (the first one he ever got the keys to was a Lexus LX 570). He's now a regular at TAWA's two main events: the Texas Auto Roundup in the spring and the Texas Truck Rodeo in the fall.
Over the past several years, Derek has learned how to drive off-road in various four-wheel-drive SUVs (he even camped out for two nights in a Land Rover), and driven around various tracks in hot hatches, muscle cars, and exotics. Several of his pieces, including his article about the 2015 Ford F-150 being crowned TAWA's 2014 "Truck of Texas" and his review of the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider, have won awards in TAWA's annual Excellence in Craft Competition. Last year, his JK Forum profile of Wagonmaster, a business that restores Jeep Wagoneers, won prizes in TAWA’s signature writing contest and its pickup- and SUV-focused Texas Truck Invitational.
