Bill Murray Stays Home in Jeep's Timely Tweak of Its Super Bowl Ad

Does every day feel freakishly similar now that you’re sheltering at home as the pandemic drags on? Of course it does. And Phil Connors—Bill Murray’s character from the 1993’s Groundhog Day—can commiserate.

In the movie, of course, Connors relives the same day again and again. And again. Then a few more times.

In February, which feels like a 20 years ago, Murray triumphantly reprised the film role for Jeep’s Super Bowl commercial, created by Chicago agency Highdive and widely considered one of the game’s best spots.

Now, the Fiat Chrysler nameplate repurposes that footage in a series of social spots tagged #StayOffTheRoad. In the first installment below, Sonny & Cher’s “I Got You Babe” jangles from a clock radio at the stroke of 6 a.m., but Connors doesn’t seem eager to cast aside the covers.

“We understand that every day is starting to feel the same,” the ad says. “Stay home. Stay healthy. When this is over the trails will be waiting.” Two more spots will drop in coming weeks.

Brand marketing chief Olivier Francois said Murray allowed the extra footage to be made available free of charge. “He generously and pro-bono embraced this idea,” Francois told CNBC. “Not only was he OK with it, he actively participated on the creative,” helping guide the campaign’s direction.

Here, Murray’s schtick feels incredibly on point. It reminds us that a time will come, hopefully soon, for exploring far horizons. But for now, if possible, it’s best to ride out the crisis at home.

Other Fiat Chrysler nameplates including Dodge and Ram have rolled out similar themes of late, while Uber’s new film from Wieden + Kennedy thanks the public for not using the service to summon rides during the COVID-19 emergency.