Despite Ford’s efforts to stop GM, the apocalypse-surviving Chevy Silverado commercial aired last night during the Super Bowl.

According to GM, the advertisement was intended as a “good-humored” spoof on the Mayan calendar predictions. Depicting a band of Silverado owners that are navigating across a “completely over-the-top, outrageous version of the devastation and destruction predicted to occur this year by the Mayan calendar,” the ad also features giant attack robots, meteors, and frogs that are falling from the sky. The punch line is when the gang of Silverado owners realized one of their friends did not survive because they drove a Ford rather than “the longest lasting, most dependable truck on the road.”

Ford took issue with the ad and we now know what the company said in a formal letter sent to GM requesting for the ad to be pulled. Representing lawyer Lynne M. Matuszak wrote, “Ford demands that Chevrolet immediately cease and desist from making any unsubstantiated and disparaging claims regarding Ford’s pickup trucks.” Matuszak’s letter further demanded that GM, “permanently remove the commercial from its website, its YouTube and Facebook pages and any other internet sites.”

Ford’s letter then warned, “If Chevrolet does not comply with the above terms prior to the start of the Super Bowl, then Ford will take all appropriate steps to enforce and protect its reputation.”

Taking it a step further, Ford called out the Silverado’s safety record, noting that the 2012 Ford F-150 earned an IIHS Top Safety pick while the Silverado received less than impressive side impact, rear crash, and rollover results.

GM’s global chief marketing officer Joel Ewanick and GM are committed to broadcasting the ad and sharing it on YouTube. Joel Ewanick said, ”We stand by our claims in the commercial, that the Silverado is the most dependable, longest-lasting full-size pickup on the road. The ad is a fun way of putting this claim in the context of the apocalypse. We can wait until the world ends, and if we need to, we will apologize. In the meantime, people who are really worried about the Mayan calendar coming true should buy a Silverado right away.”

Like Coca Cola versus Pepsi, the clash of Ford vs. GM will last for many years to come. We will be expecting a humorous and entertaining rebuttal ad from Ford soon.

[Source: Detroit News]

Why not watch the ad again below:

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Things just got mighty interesting with the Super Bowl ads, with Ford sending a cease-and-desist over to both General Motors and NBC in hopes that the Chevrolet Silverado apocalypse ad won’t air during the big game.

It’s probably too little, too late considering the commercial has already been seen several million times on the Internet, but the impact it could have being played during the big game clearly still worries Ford. The American automaker has asked NBC to pull the $7-million, one-minute ad from the Super Bowl but it appears that NBC will not be respecting that request. At the time of this writing, the ad will still be played and we can’t imagine NBC pulling it at this point in time.

GM Global Chief Marketing Officer, Joel Ewanick, is clearly finding the situation a little on the lighter side, releasing this in a statement: ”We can wait until the world ends, and if we need to, we will apologize,” Ewanick said. “In the meantime, people who are really worried about the Mayan calendar coming true should buy a Silverado right away.”

Ford spokesman Mike Levine has confirmed that Ford did send a letter to Chevy in regards to the ad and that Ford has a gripe with the durability claims that GM is putting out about their products.

In case you’ve missed the ad, check it out after the break.

[Source: Yahoo! Autos]

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You would think with all the damage control Chevrolet has to do after their share of bad press on the Volt that they would be able to come up with a better, more creative ad for this year’s Super Bowl.

Nonetheless, Chevy will be presenting your run-of-the-mill commercial featuring aliens from another planet, or galaxy far, far away that are interested in the technology behind the Chevy Volt. Unfortunately it doesn’t really say too much about what makes the Volt a great, but more importantly safe, vehicle – other than the fact that “it’s electric, and when I need to go farther it runs on gas.”

We have to admit that Chevy is going to have to really step up their game if they hope to change the general public’s perception of their Volt. Aliens just won’t cut it these days.

Check out the odd commercial after the break.

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We’ve got a full 60 second commercial that’s set to air during this weekend’s Super Bowl game. It’s from Hyundai and it features a musical performance by actual Hyundai employees.

The rumor floating around is that the ad was inspired by Hyundai’s founding chairman, Chung Ju-Yung and his “words of determination and encouragement.” Titled “All For One,” the ad (which was filmed at Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama, in Montgomery, Ala.) features 200 Hyundai team members humming and singing the song “Gonna Fly Now” from the movie “Rocky.” And they do a great job with the song for average Joe’s – that’s probably because they received training from a vocal coach.

You can watch the ad after the jump. Let us know if you were inspired or not in the comments section below.

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Titled “Sled”, Suzuki will be showing off their all-wheel drive 2012 Kizashi sport sedan for this year’s Super Bowl commercial. The Kizashi is also the same vehicle Suzuki showed off in their Super Bowl ad last year, which was the company’s first ever.

The ad was developed by Siltanen & Partners Advertising, and hopes to illustrate the “exhilaration one can receive from upgrading their ordinary daily driver with a more entertaining mode of transportation.” Unfortunately not many of us can relate from having to use a dog sled as a method of transportation, but we think you get the point.

The ad won’t be the only thing Suzuki is kicking off on Super Bowl Sunday. The automaker will also be giving away BARKCODE tags to the first 1,000 consumers to register on www.KizashiKicks.com/sled. Each BARKCODE tag is a personalized pet identification tag with a scannable 2D code, allowing pet owners to be reunited if their furry friends become lost or misplaced during a natural disaster. With each tag ordered, BARKCODE will donate $3.00 on behalf of Suzuki to the American Red Cross.

Watch the commercial after the break.

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Sometime after championship Sunday, once the New England Patriots and the New York Giants won their respective title games, marketing departments across the nation probably had a meeting to decide whether or not to reveal their Super Bowl ads ahead of time.

Most believe that interest for the big game isn’t as high as years past, but imagine what ad agencies would have done if Tebow managed to make it to Super Bowl Sunday.

Whatever the reason is – and we’re just poking fun at a Brady vs. Manning rematch that doesn’t involve Peyton – Audi has also revealed their Super Bowl ad ahead of the big game. And while we thought this vampire craze would just quietly die off into the night, it apparently hasn’t and Audi inexplicably did a vampire-themed ad with their new Audi S7.

The ad itself is pretty uncreative, and what’s even more odd is those that would be in the market for the S7 probably isn’t really into the whole teenage vampire craze. But hey, Audi’s selling point on the ad is about their LED headlights. Wait, what?

Check out the ad after the break.

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GM has announced “Chevy Happy Grad” as the winner of their Route 66 Super Bowl Ad contest, created by 26-year old Zach Borst of Long Island. The winning ad will be aired during Super Bowl XLVI and had already received over 32-million views between December 22 and January 14.

The best part about this ad is how easy it is to relate to it, considering we’ve all probably received gifts we never wanted, or mistakenly thought a certain gift was ours. The ad was filmed on location out in Long Island near Borst’s home and beat out 400 submitted scripts and 198 films from 32 different countries.

“We asked filmmakers to depict life’s journey and how Chevrolet is there along the way,” said General Motors Global Chief Marketing Officer Joel Ewanick. “When I saw Zach’s spot, I had to laugh, because the situation is something many families can relate to – expectation and reality. ‘Happy Grad’ clearly shows the passion that Chevrolet elicits.”

Borst has been producing films since his childhood and has founded Goat Farm Films, his own production company based out of New York.

Check out the winning ad after the break.

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Chevy is turning to independent film makers in 32 different countries for one of their five Super Bowl XLVI commercials. Chevrolet is hoping to go global – 60-percent of their vehicles are sold outside the United States – by asking fans to also vote for their favorite commercial to influence the judges.

The contest named “Chevrolet Route 66″ and contestants are asked to create an ad which captures the spirit of the everyday hero and the global experience of life’s journey. The Chevrolet advertising team will get together to check out the consumer-generated ads with the best one being aired during the Super Bowl.

Chevrolet will be posting their favorite submissions on specially created website with Microsoft (ChevroletRoute66.MSN.com) in order for fans to view, rate and share the videos. And to entice viewers to vote from December 22nd 2011 to January 26th 2012, a prize of up to $10,000 can be won by whoever shares most often. The countries eligible include Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Mexico, the United Kingdom and of course the United States.

Check out a sneak preview of the commercial competition after the break.

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One of the funkiest kids’ shows on TV and Korean automaker Kia are hitting the road for a cross-country tour. Nickelodeon’s “Yo Gabba Gabba” is pairing up once again with Kia (the first time being the Super Bowl commercial collaboration that aired this year). The ad featured Yo Gabba Gabba character Muno and an assortment of toys taking a Kia Sorento out for a joy ride.

Kia is the main sponsor of Yo Gabba Gabba’s 60-city live performance tour. The idea behind the pairing is that the two brands cross-pollinate each other: fans (and their parents) of “Yo Gabba Gabba” will get exposed to the Kia line of cars, while Kia drivers and prospective buyers will be exposed to the show.

So far, the ads have proven to be a great success for Kia. “I had someone tell me – who had just gone to buy a Kia, a Sorento, believe it or not – that people are going into the Kia dealership and asking for the car that Muno drives,” said Michael Polis, CEO of Wildbrain Entertainment and executive producer of “Yo Gabba Gabba.”

For the spot dedicated to the new Sorento SUV, Kia decided to work with Yo Gabba Gabba for their first Super Bowl ad in order to make a big splash, said Michael Sprague, vice president of marketing for Kia.

The tour starts on August 27 and runs through December 12. Appearing on stage will be DJ Lance, Muno, Brobee and the rest of the Gabba gang, as well as rapper Biz Markie.

[Source: Orange County Register]

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Ahead of their official airing during Super Bowl XLIV, Hyundai has released two of its commercials. The first is called “10 Years/Favre” and is set 10 years in the future where a 50-year-old Favre (even more gray-haired than now) accepts the MVP award and contemplates retiring… again. With the words, “We don’t know what things will be like 10 years from now,” Hyundai points out that its powertrain warranty on your new Hyundai will still be around.

The second commercial, called “Paint” isn’t humorous, but highlights the all-new 2011 Sonata (its paint in particular) as a work of art. Hyundai also returns to its old gimmick of comparing its products to some rather high-end models, ending the clip with the words, “Better paint quality than a Mercedes CLS550.”

Both commercials are narrated by actor Jeff Bridges, who’s voice is rivaled only by Morgan Freeman.

See after the jump for both videos, as well as a few of Hyundai’s past Super Bowl ads.

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