The latest spot is far less meditative, and has him talking to German shorthair pointer and Weimaraner dogs in the backseat of the Lincoln Navigator he is driving.
Matthew McConaughey DETROIT, MI - Matthew McConaughey helped make advertisements for Lincoln vehicles somewhat notorious, even getting the Saturday Night Live treatment, for being philosophical and meditative.
For example, the Hollywood star says in a 60-second spot for the MKC, "Sometimes ya gotta go back... to actually move forward."
Indeed.
But whereas in those mental-marinade commercials the "True Detective" and "The Lincoln Lawyer" actor is speaking to no apparent person, the latest spot has him talking directly to a specific audience: The German shorthair pointer and Weimaraner dogs in the backseat of the 2016 Lincoln Navigator he is driving.
And gone is the existential chatter, in favor of a more immediate and concrete need. That is, what should they get to eat?
"Alright what do you think boys," McConaughey says. "We could do tacos, we could do some Thai. Oh what do you think about sushi?"
The dogs indicate they want barbecue (again), but McConaughey overrules them. Sushi it is, he says.
"Lincoln and I wanted the new ad to be more lighthearted and fun, so when they pitched the 'driving with dogs' idea I was in," McConaughey says in a release for the ad. "People love their dogs, I've got three myself, and yes, I, like most of you, even talk to them."
The commercial spot was directed by well-known filmmaker Gus Van Sant, who has been at the helm of several mainstream and independent films such as "Good Will Hunting" and "Paranoid Park." Van Sant also did TV spots for the Lincoln MKX.
"Gus really understood how to bring the story of the Lincoln Navigator to life," Jon Pearce, executive vice president and global chief creative officer for the ad agency Hudson Rouge, said in the release. "The setting, our canine passengers and some pithy dialogue all work together to tell the story of the type of person who likes to drive a Navigator."
The spot, called "Time to Eat," got its first TV air time during Monday' night's Grammy awards.
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David Muller is the automotive and business reporter for MLive Media Group in Detroit. Email him at dmuller@mlive.com, follow him on Twitter or find him on Facebook.