Chrysler roars into the Super Bowl with an ode to the Motor City.
February 7, 2011
This is how we roll in Detroit…
Auto advertisers carried the day at Super Bowl XLV. Heralding a comeback to marketing muscle, numerous car companies outdid themselves and each other in terms of blockbuster ads. Not only were many automakers in the Super Bowl, many of their ads were damn good and some even great. Volkswagen, Chevy, Chrysler, Mercedes, Hyundai, Audi; Did I miss anyone? They came out firing on all cylinders.
In my opinion leaders of the pack were Chevy and Chrysler, two American car companies that not too long ago were running on vapors. Not this night. Chevy’s tongue in cheek living storyboard for Camaro was brilliant. Two dudes talk about their idea of a badass commercial and we see it come to life.
The pretend ‘local’ Chevy spot that morphs into a Transformers riff was an absolute hoot. When it began, I really wondered how in the hell some Podunk dealership could possibly afford a Super Bowl spot. Then the featured car turns into a mean-as-hell Transformer wreaking havoc on the lot. I don’t much care for the Transformer movies but the marketing synergy and mock-sleazy production were spot on.
But for me the only commercial that riveted me to my seat –stopping traffic if you will- was the two-minute opus for Chrysler. Frankly, I didn’t even like everything about it (the car, for one, wasn’t that special), yet the film was still powerful enough to be the best commercial of the night. Featuring one of Eminem’s signature beats and then the man himself, Chrysler told the story of Detroit’s rise and fall and rise again with verve, machismo and righteousness. The controversial tagline, “Imported from Detroit” made it cherry. They are the motor city, after all.
Was this film more a love letter to Detroit than a car commercial? Perhaps. But maybe that’s okay. They are the motor city, after all.
The Happy Soul Industry
The Last Generation
Gods of Advertising 
Love the Chrysler tagline and the sentiment…but outside of the ending, which was pretty cool, this spot felt like a rip-o-matic. (Do they still call them that?) Like most rips, it just wasn’t firing on all cylinders. It would make a much better :60.
Respectfully disagree. Yes, the footage felt ripped but sometimes the rip is better than anything made new. And the copy…Brilliant. I’d hire that writer if I had a fu–ing job!
A lot of creatives are in your camp on this one. Upon further review, perhaps I shouldn’t have been so dismissive. The writing is terrific, the sentiment and ending, spot on. However, I still get a disconnected “rip” vibe from the first half of the spot…in some ways, it almost feels like two spots. In any event, I’m pulling for Detroit after watching this, so it’s certainly effective in that regard. Thnx.
[…] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Steffan Postaer, doug mcgoldrick and Diane Cook-Tench , Laura Porter Haubert. Laura Porter Haubert said: RT @Steffan1: Chrysler roars into the Super Bowl with an ode to the Motor City. http://wp.me/pabVP-12R […]
As someone who’s been looking at a lot of Detroit “destruction p*rn” photography lately, the Chrysler spot struck a chord with me. I didn’t miss the subtle rebuke.
Agree that Chrysler’s spot was the evening’s standout. I rewound the DVR and watched it twice. And then again up there.
This is what GM’s “We All Fall Down” should have been. Honest, but determined and a little defiant. More balls-out, less tail-between-the-legs.
If the spot is selling Detroit as much as (or more than) the car, I think that’s okay. Even smart. I’ve got to buy back into Detroit as a survivable entity before I’ll ever consider buying another one of their cars.