Hours after Bruce Springsteen’s drunken driving and reckless driving charges were dropped, Jeep confirmed its Super Bowl LV ad featuring ‘The Boss’ was again being promoted.
The ad, titled ‘The Middle’, is now available for viewing on Jeep’s official YouTube channel and website. It comes after prosecutors reportedly dropped charges against Springsteen, which were originally served to the singer-songwriter in November for DUI/DWI charges.
After news of the charges emerged, Jeep immediately hid the ad from its socials and website, a move that has now been rectified, Jeep confirmed.
“As we stated previously, we paused the commercial until the facts were established,” a Jeep representative said in a statement, via Variety.
“Now, that the matter has been resolved, we are unpausing the film.”
Springsteen was arrested in November at New Jersey’s Gateway National Recreation Area, which is also known as Sandy Hook.
However, news of the charges did not emerge until February, when TMZ revealed them.
It was also reported, around the time of this revelation, that Jeep shot ‘The Middle’ just a week prior to its running—news that sounded a reminder call for marketers to ensure they thoroughly vet their talent, regardless of who they are.
According to The Detroit News, a park officer wrote in a statement that he witnessed the singer-songwriter “take a shot of tequila and hop onto a motorcycle”, but the government on Wednesday admitted Springsteen’s blood-alcohol level was so low that it did not warrant the charges.
Springsteen was fined US$500 for the offense, plus US$40 in court fees.
Interestingly, instead of resuming use of its original upload of The Middle, Jeep chose to reupload it at 10:10 (AEST), according to YouTube upload data.
Shortly after its original release, the ad accrued tens of millions of views in short succession, but was received with mixed review.
While the ad in early February had received 25 thousand likes, B&T reported at the time that it had also generated a whopping 13 thousand dislikes.
A cheeky reupload clears the slate for Jeep, for now. The carmaker has even limited comments on its YouTube reupload, perhaps pre-empting a windfall of criticism, You can check out The Middle below.
