Lincoln: The Powerful Don’t Take Transit

Last year rapper Common signed with Lincoln as the “new face” of its Navigator SUV. The first TV spot of the campaign debuted in November on NBC’s Sunday night NFL broadcast, and continues in heavy rotation during the playoffs. In the ad, shot in Chicago, Common reflects on his roots in the Windy City, his voiceover set to a modern urban beat as he glides a shiny black Nav through unobstructed streets.

“The city means so much to me,” he says. “Every time I come home it looks more beautiful than ever.”

Just then, the Navigator passes under an elevated train track. Common points to the windshield.

“Back in the day that was my ride right there,” he muses. “The El.”

The El is in Common’s rear view mirror now, literally, as he cruises through his old neighborhood, rolling down the Navigator’s power windows to greet friends who aren’t similarly ensconced inside a $50,000 SUV. Presumably, some of those friends are among the hundreds of thousands of Chicagoans who still rely on the El, even as it flirts with collapse due to years of budgetary neglect.

After Common parks to pose with the Navigator in front of the Regal Theater, where he performed his first show (no circling the block, as there still isn’t another vehicle in sight), the commercial closes with the tagline, “True power is wielded quietly,” and implores us to “Reach Higher.”

‘Cause if you don’t, those truly powerful Navigator drivers might not see you. 

Video: kuteev/YouTube. Ad produced by Uniworld NY and Backyard.