The Best Mustang Commercial Running Right Now Isn’t From Ford

By John Coyle - September 21, 2020

Remember playing with toy Mustangs? This new American Family Insurance spot will tug your heartstrings.

While there are certainly some Mustang fans who came to the car hobby later in life, for the vast majority of us, the passion started when we were kids. It makes sense, because a passion for cars — along with activities like skateboarding or boating — seems far more reasonable while our brains are still developing. Seriously, there’s a reason you should really never add up what your project car has cost you in time and money. It’s a little terrifying. Even the amount of time we spend building dream cars in our heads could be considered excessive.

That said, this 30-second American Family Insurance spot taps into the joy we experienced when we first fell in love with cars, and it features a wicked-looking 1966 Mustang Fastback.

With a Signal Red paint, and white racing stripes, it’s a gorgeous example of the breed, and while there’s a huge amount of fantasy at play in the clip, it’s still a hoot watching the machine on screen. In many ways, this ad is a kinder, gentler, version of the “banned” sixth-generation Corvette commercial, which was allegedly pulled because some folks thought it would encourage kids to steal their parent’s keys.

The commercial opens with some killer shots of the Fastback flying through a toy-strewn living room, plunging through the tall grass of a white shag carpet, and drifting through a puddle of spilled milk. The soundtrack is, appropriately, “You Make My Dreams,” by Hall and Oats, and it’s all good fun.

Given that no product placement is free nowadays, you have to wonder whether Ford paid to be included, or whether American Family had to license the use of the Mustang image for the spot. We’re actually thinking it’s the latter, but if you happen to know better, please do let us know. We thrive on little bits of trivia like that, as it makes us popular on pub quiz nights.

One thing we have to mention is that our favorite part of this spot actually doesn’t have anything to do with the car at all. Rather, it has to do with the disclaimer that’s included during the little interior hooning session. Check it out: “Scenes simulated. Do not attempt. Ford and American Family Insurance always recommend safe driving.”

What does it say about America’s legal system that American Family’s inside counsel thought it was necessary to include this disclaimer? Are there people in this country so dumb that they’re going to try to cram themselves inside a toy car or drive their Mustang down a banister? Actually, don’t answer that. The answer is probably yes, and we don’t need any more depressing thoughts.

Now obviously, there are loads of great car commercials out there. Our personal favorite is “Reincarnation,” which was done for the Mercedes-Benz C-Class way back in 2002, and it pulls at our heartstrings every single time. Regardless of how you feel about the German luxury brand, it’s worth a watch, and we wish more manufacturers would go the cinematic route with their campaigns.

But what’s your favorite car commercial? If there’s one you’ve been unable to forget over the years, we’d like to hear about it, and would love to feature it in a future round up. So drop us a line and a link — unless you happen to like the “grounded to the ground one.” If so, just watch that one on your own time, please. Everyone has suffered enough.

Photos: YouTube