Ford Mercilessly Mocks Cadillac in Sarcastic New Ad

Earlier this year Cadillac caused quite a few eye-rolls with a commercial that equated American exceptionalism with buying lots of stuff and taking fewer vacations than people in other countries. It was either patriotic or obnoxious, perhaps depending on your ability to afford a Cadillac. Now Ford is parodying the ad with a different take on what defines Americans.

The Ford commercial, is a shot-for-shot recreation of the Cadillac ad, but it stars Pashon Murray, the founder of a sustainability group called Detroit Dirt. Instead of standing in front of a glistening pool, as actor Neal McDonough does at the beginning of the Cadillac ad, Murray is looking over a giant pile of dirt. She talks about the virtues of eating locally grown food instead of mocking vacation time. The video concludes with Murray arguing that people should focus on making the world better, whereas the Cadillac ad celebrates all the “stuff” people can buy if they work hard and get rich.

Though the Ford ad is clearly a shot at Cadillac, the carmarker says the spot is meant to be ligh-thearted. “I don’t think we’re mocking a competitor,” a spokeswoman told USA Today. “We’re trying to showcase positive work being done in our community.”

Here’s the original Cadillac video, for reference: