Vroom returns to Super Bowl following controversial 2021 spot

Online used-vehicle retailer Vroom will return to the Super Bowl this year with an ad that highlights the company’s ability to buy cars from consumers.

The ad, called “Flake the Musical,” depicts a consumer who is ready to sell a vehicle through a peer-to-peer transaction, only to have the buyer back out of the deal. The 30-second spot centers on a woman dancing down a city street as she sings about finally finding a buyer for her vehicle before receiving a text message that the transaction was off. The musical number was choreographed by Mandy Moore, who also worked on the Hollywood musical, “La La Land.”

“Never deal with flaky buyers again,” a narrator says, as the scene flips to a Vroom-branded flatbed truck loading up the seller’s vehicle.

“Now is a terrific time to sell a vehicle with used-car pricing at all-time highs. However, the process can be overwhelming and unnecessarily complicated,” Peter Scherr, Vroom’s chief marketing officer, said in a statement. “At Vroom, we make selling your car as easy as possible. Being a part of the Super Bowl allows us to invite tens of millions of consumers to visit Vroom.com and get an instant price on their car. When someone is ready to sell, we pick up the car and the consumer gets paid, all from home. No more meeting strangers, endless negotiating or being flaked on.”

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Vroom allows consumers to receive an appraisal and instant price on their vehicle that is valid for seven days or 250 miles, and the company arranges to pick up the vehicle.

New York-based Vroom made waves last year with its Super Bowl debut, “Dealership Pain,” in which it depicted a dealership salesman threatening a customer with an electric shock. The company told Automotive News at the time that it was intended as an exaggerated example of some consumers’ dissatisfaction with traditional dealerships.

Franchised retailers, however, said the “Dealership Pain” spot promoted outdated stereotypes as the industry moves toward more digital transacting.

Vroom’s ad will air in the fourth quarter of the game, which will air Feb. 13.


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