Lincoln and Matthew McConaughey Team Up Again

2015 Lincoln MKZ and Matthew McConaughey (Credit: Lincoln )

People like Jim Carrey and Ellen Degeneres lined up to make fun of Matthew McConaughey’s Lincoln commercials. Despite criticism and some people finding the actor’s performance in the spots to be mystifying, they obviously communicated something positive to consumers as Lincoln experience a huge uptick in sales. McConaughey is back in a pair of new commercials that put the MKZ, both the Hybrid and regular version, right smack dab in front of potential car shoppers.

In one of the spots, Matthew McConaughey talks about the MKZ Hybrid. He calls it a “balance” between hugging trees and being wasteful. The commercial sets the sedan up as a way for people to save on fuel and feel better about their carbon footprint, but without the negative stigma that comes with some hybrid vehicles (hint, hint: Toyota Prius). It’s a nice quasi-philosophical moment that just might strike home with people who want to be more “green” but don’t want to drive a boring or weird car to do it. Then again, a fair amount of people likely will still think the MKZ is weird.

The other commercial is more of an enigma. McConaughey is sitting in a diner and looking forlornly at the rain falling outside. The precipitation ceases suddenly, and the actor taps a glass of water on the table before going outside and opening his MKZ’s enormous sunroof before driving off. The only thing he says is “there we go” as he opens the thing up. Apparently, adding the $2,995 option to the luxury sedan makes you morose on rainy days, as well as talk little.

Both of the new ads will hit the airwaves on January 1, so get ready to see these playing during sports games and pretty much anything else with high viewership.

The big question is if McConaughey’s magic will work again, sending the same types of people flocking to Lincoln dealerships and shoving money at the sales staff as they beg for an MKZ? We should know the answer soon enough.