Imported From Detroit

Chrysler, Eminem Super Bowl Ad Says Detroit's Back

Eminem: "This is the Motor City. And this is what we do."

What impact can an ad really have? Can it actually make a city feel better about itself? The answer the day after Super Bowl XLV seems to be yes, thanks to Chrysler and ad agency Wieden + Kennedy.

The relationship between America’s car companies and the city that originally made them has been awkward for years. The city of Detroit housed and raised the factory workers of Chrysler, GM, and Ford. But the car companies discouraged diversification of the city’s economy, and city residents will tell you that the Big Three pretty much just stood by as the unemployment rate soared, the school system went sour, violence reached epidemic proportions, and city government became a piggy bank for the friends and family of city officials.

But a Super Bowl ad from the company that is now 25%-owned by foreigners has the whole city buzzing. Chrysler, which is run by Fiat chief Sergio Marchionne, delivered a rousing two-minute spot that summed up the hopes of everyone who believes the city can come back strong. The ad made the front page of the Detroit Free Press, with the headline “Motor City Pride." On Facebook, Detroiters across the country are raving about the spot, reflecting the affection they still feel for the city they left. 

The ad was ostensibly for the Chrysler 200, and it roared out from the pack of silliness during the third quarter. It did so much so right, offering so many details that showed a real understanding of Motown. Opening shots of factories; interstate road signs to introduce the name “Detroit;" cutting to downtown as the narrator begins to discuss “luxury,” a downtown still resplendent with buildings and architectural detail from a time when Detroit was the richest city in America; straight ahead references to the fact that the city has "been to hell and back"; and finally a ride down Woodward Avenue, ending up outside the beautiful and majestic Fox Theatre.

The tagline, "Imported from Detroit," is perfect. It blends luxury and quality with Motown pride, while at the same time acknowledging just how much America has wanted to pretend that Detroit is from a different country, an "unAmerican" country that would allow its citizens to live in such despair.

On EW.com, the Entertainment Weekly Web site, Annie Barrett had the Chrysler ad among her five favorites for the game, writing, “I liked the mystery of this. Was it about effort? American values? People were lifting things and there was figure skating. Something about drive and determination. All of the above!”

There’s a moment early on when viewers could see Eminem at the wheel of the car, creating a level of disbelief that it’s actually him. But the pulsing music behind the whole thing is the great intro to “Lose Yourself,” whose propulsive beat has always seemed to me the best modern expression of what’s at the heart of the city.

Rick Rojas of the Los Angeles Times wrote in a blog post Sunday night that the ad was “a magnificent tribute to the city that has been plagued by all the ills that an urban area could possibly face. And it's a message to stay strong … it's honoring a time when America was about making things — real, hulking tangible pieces of machinery. It stood in contrast to the rest of the ads for things we click on, things made far, far away …

"Chrysler seems to say that Detroit isn't dead, and maybe the spirit of Americans making things isn't dead either.”

The extraordinary two-minute commercial, believed to be the longest ever aired during a Super Bowl, was developed by Chrysler’s new ad agency, Widen + Kennedy of Portland, Ore., the folks who gave us Nike’s “Just do it” campaign. Fox was charging $3 million for 30-second Super Bowl spots, but Chrysler boss Sergio Marchionne would only say last week that the company spent less than $9 million for the airtime. The Drum, a British-based creative marketing Web site, said in a report Sunday it was the most expensive commercial in TV history.

Update: Plagiarism, the Sincerest Form of Flattery
Did Audi Rip Off Eminem's Chryler Ad?
(6/2/2011)
A German auto commercial is hitting a little too close to home for some folks in Eminem's camp.

Eight Mile Style, the Ferndale, MI company that handles song licensing for the Detroit rapper, alleges that a new Audi ad uses an unauthorized interpretation of Eminem's "Lose Yourself."

The firm says the Audi spot appears to borrow in general from the Chrysler's 200's "Imported From Detroit" campaign which uses "Lose Yourself" as its centerpiece.

Eight Mile Style filed a motion in a German court this week to quash the Audi ad, which shows a driver touring an urban landscape in a 2012 A6 Avant. The A6 Avant is not being marketed in the U.S.

"It's stunning," said Eight Mile Style manager Joel Martin. "What makes it extraordinary is the similarity to the way Chrysler is using (the song). We saw it and said, 'This has got to be a joke.'" 

The video debuted May 18 at a media event in Berlin and has been posted on YouTube by several auto news services.

A German attorney representing Eight Mile Style said the company will seek damages from Audi.

Sources:

1. Rick Tetzeli, "Super Bowl Ad Stories: Chrysler, Eminem Break an Awkward Silence in Detroit," Fast Company, February 7, 2011

2. Ron Dzwonsowski, "Did you feel it? Chrysler Super Bowl ad says Detroit's back," Detroit Free Press, February 7, 2011
3. Rick Rojas, "Super Bowl Ad Tracker: Chrysler, Eminem proclaim Detroit is still alive," Los Angeles Times, February 6, 2011
4. Annie Barrett, "Super Bowl XLV: Best and worst commercials," Entertainment Weekly, February 6, 2011
5. Brian McCollum, "Audi Ad has Shades of Chrysler-Eminem Hit," Detroit Free Press, June 2, 2011