Tara: Well. I gotta say. Living in a suburb of Detroit, with a husband who works for Chrysler, watching the game at a gathering filled with Chrysler workers — we were all wondering … why? Why would Chrysler only do one ad, when Chevy, Ford and even Kia were spending so much money? We waited in anticipation. And we were not disappointed. In my opinion, this was far and away the most effective and just … beautiful use of commercial time in this year’s Super Bowl. The ad execs aren’t even from the city, as Chrysler’s former agency BBDO had to close doors because most of their clients were car companies. And we all know what happened there. But the Portland based firm they chose (Weiden+Kennedy) did an exceptional job. And all casting, music, VO’s and people were local. Oh, not to mention Eminem! Love it!
Michael: You know … I watched this commercial with intensity when it first reared its head. I’d heard about it, but didn’t know anything about it. I thought I would just hang back and see it for the first time during the Super Bowl … and I was not disappointed.
Tara: I can tell you about the landmarks you see, if you’d like.
Michael: No. No need. I really don’t want to hear a bunch of “… and that used to be … and that used to be …” ad nauseum. No offense intended.
Tara: Offense taken and tough if you don’t want to hear about them. They’re interesting! First of all the gigantic fist you see is right downtown. It’s a tribute to hometown fighter Joe Louis. It was super controversial at the time, as some critics said in a city that has such a violent image, maybe this wasn’t such a smart symbol.
The painting you see is a large mural at the Detroit Institute of Arts, paying homage to all the auto workers on the “lines”. And the theater that Eminem enters at the end is the gorgeous Fox Theatre downtown, which has some of the best acoustics in the world.
I also heard on my local news that this ad was only three weeks in the making. Eminem wasn’t even supposed to be in it, but OK’ed the use of his song. However, when he saw the images, he wanted to take part. The ole softie.
Michael: A bit surprised at myself, I did find the background music engaging and appropriate for the ad. It seemed gritty and attractive enough to fit nicely in the mix. Good choices. One of the things I have not helped myself to is a huge amount of rap, musicologist that I am, but I do want to take in a healthy dose of Eminem at some point, as I know his stuff is often good stuff, Maynard.
Tara: Well, you should start by watching “8 Mile“. It’s really good, God bless Brittany Murphy‘s soul. I have to say though, I’ve checked out a lot of his lyrics, and he ain’t always the best role model. Homie. But he’s just perfect in this gritty spot. Perfect.
Because “this is the Motor City. And this is what we do.”
Clacked by Tara Shrodes
on Feb 11, 2011 @ 09:00 EST5EDT
This was probably one of my favorite ads as well.
I can only imagine watching this ad with Tara would be like watching an episode of Chicago Code with CJ :P
I don’t know. To me the aesthetics looked kind of totalitarian.
But then I guess great marketing has to look like generic propaganda.
. . . . .
I disagree completely, Pa.
As it was with the Apple Macintosh commercial, this commercial is certainly totalitarian to be sure …
… but this is one of the first I’ve seen in recent memory where the starkness of it stands out and greatly emphasizes the message of what’s being conveyed.
Brilliantly, I might add.
The last time I visited Detroit I was shocked to see the downtown deserted. It was a huge contrast to what I’m used to in Chicago, and it just stunned me. I felt so bad. This ad got me feeling all pro-Detroit, even though I have no love for the city in general (BOOOO Pistons). And since I have relatives who work for Chrysler and GM, it had me rooting for the American auto industry. Excellent emotional manipulation – the mark of a good ad. :-)