Description
The Jeep® brand released its new spot for the all-new 2026 Jeep Cherokee hybrid as the modern mid-sized SUV makes its highly-anticipated arrival into dealerships across the U.S.
The online spot, called “Billy Goes to the River,” casts its fishing line into the social media waters during the advertising industry’s biggest week, looking to catch the prize for the “best Big Game commercial that’s not in the Big Game!”
Fish! Bears! Eagles! Oh my! “Billy Goes to the River” takes viewers on what starts as a sweet father-son drive when the young boy innocently seeks to fulfill Billy’s request to “take (him) to the river,” and ends with far (far) less than expected results. See the video here.
“While we’re not airing a commercial in the Big Game telecast this year, we still wanted to show up with something to say,” said Olivier Francois, Global Chief Marketing Officer, Stellantis. “This spot was built very intentionally around the 140 driver-assistance features of the all-new Jeep Cherokee Hybrid —because safety matters, but it has to be expressed in a way that’s true to Jeep. ‘Billy Goes to the River’ delivers humor and a bit of chaos, but always in service of a concrete message. If there were a prize for “the best Big Game commercial that’s not in the Big Game”, this is the ad we’d submit. Jim Jenkins, who directed our award-winning Groundhog Day spot, is back with us and once again strikes the right balance between entertainment and meaning.”
“From crossing rivers to crossing generations, Jeep has spent 85 years driving freedom and adventure—and ‘Billy Goes to the River’ reconnects the brand with that enduring sense of fun,” said Bob Broderdorf, Jeep CEO. “The all-new 2026 Jeep Cherokee 4x4 hybrid, now arriving at U.S dealerships, brings drivers over 500 miles of range on a single tank so adventure is always within reach. Across our entire Jeep lineup, Jeep now offers better SUVs with better prices, more standard features, greater value, and a renewed focus on the technology and content our owners care about most.”
The commercial infuses AI-forward methodology through Parliament, an AI-forward post-production company - marrying practical effects & CG elements to create the most realistic sequences with real footage. All of the animals featured are digital generations - no real animals were used in the spot.
The 2026 Jeep Cherokee hybrid, well-equipped starting at $36,995 features a new 1.6-liter turbo-four hybrid engine offering an estimated 37 mpg combined and more than 500 miles to a tank of fuel making it ready to take adventures further than ever – with zero compromises.
This professional campaign titled 'Billy Goes to the River' was published in United States in February, 2026. It was created for the brand: Jeep, by ad agency: Highdive. This Film medium campaign is related to the Automotive and Personal Transportation industry and contains 1 media asset. It was submitted 17 minutes ago.
Credits
Ad or Campaign: “Billy Goes To The River”
Vehicle: Jeep Cherokee
Global Chief Marketing Officer, Stellantis: Olivier François
Head of American Brands, NA Marketing and Retail Strategy: Tim Kuniskis
Chief Executive Officer, Jeep: Bob Broderdorf
Vice President of Global Content & Advertising, Jeep: Randy Ortiz
Head of Jeep Advertising, NA: John Millar
Jeep Brand Advertising, NA: Dave Herkowitz
Senior Buyer, Sales & Marketing: Cornel Charles
Production Governance Specialist: Susan Huepenbecker
Director, Marketing Budget Control & Governance: David Quartararo
APR, Brand Executive Producer: Tommy Murov
APR, Post / VFX SME: Hilary Downes
APR, Print Advisor: Julie Shepherd
Agency: Highdive
Chief Executive Officer: Megan Lally
Chief Creative Officer, Co-Founder: Chad Broude
Chief Creative Officer, Co-Founder: Mark Gross
Executive Creative Director: Nathan Monteith
Senior Art Director: Sydney Cohen
Senior Copywriter: Jordan Fishel
Creative Team: Jorge Pomareda
Creative Team: Casey Stern
Head of Production: Jen Passaniti
Executive Producer: Lindsay Vetter
Senior Producer: Nicole Schofield
Vehicle Specialist: Chris Bailey
Strategy Director: Jamie Kohler
Group Account Director, Partner: Kaley Lambeth
Account Director: Melody To
Director of Business Affairs: Kelley Beaman
Business Affairs Manager: Nancy Espinal
Production: O Positive
Director: Jim Jenkins
Director of Photography: Trent Opalach
Executive Producer: Ralph Laucella
Executive Producer: Marc Grill
Head of Production: Devon Clark
Line Producer: Megan Miller
Service Company: Someplace Nice
Executive Producer: Estelle Weir
Producer: Kyle Hollett
Post Production
Editorial: 1986 Studios
Editor: Carlos Lowenstein
Assistant Editor: Lilly Beck
Design Animation: Jon Gallo
Editorial Managing Director: Larissa Berringer
Editorial Producer: Mike Ware
Color: Royal Muster
Colorist: Mikey Pehanich
Color Assist: Abby Dougherty
Color Executive Producer: Thatcher Peterson
Color Senior Producer: Dan Butler
VFX / Finishing: Parliament
VFX Supervisor: Nathan Kane
VFX Creative Leads: Miles Essmiller & Tom Graham
VFX Creatives: Dan Fine, John McIntosh, Juan Zavala, Matthew Steidl, Myong Choi, Sean Myers, Yuichiro Yamashita
VFX Executive Producer: Kat Maidment
VFX Producer: Emma Hertz
VFX Production Coordinator: Rachel Greco
Original Music: Little Beast
Music Co-Founder / Executive Creative Director: Matt Drenik
Music Co-Founder / Executive Creative Director: Johanna Cranitch
Music Executive Producer / Partner: Christina Tortorelli Carlo
Audio: Another Country
Sound Designer: Peter Erazmus
Audio Assistant Engineer: Brett Rossiter
Audio Producer: Josh Hunnicutt
Audio Executive Producer: Louise Rider
Audio Managing Director: Tim Konn
