OT: "Imported From Detroit" Commercials
Last night revealed the second annual "Imported From Detroit" commercial featuring Clint Eastwood.
Did you like it more than last year's commercial?
Last night's spot is getting a lot of buzz, and it was even called "Perfect" by several Detroit media outlets. To be honest, I thought it relied too heavily upon Clint, who I just see as another good actor, and it failed to live up to last year's commercial.
Thoughts? Positive for Detroit/America? Should Chrysler do another one next year?
February 6th, 2012 at 3:48 PM ^
Old man mumbling voice over grey scenery. Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz. Hurray for a revitalized Detroit!
February 6th, 2012 at 3:19 PM ^
I wish it was a little bit more about the D then just the midwest/America. It was still great though.
Without touching the politics of it, Clint loves the D ever since he did Grand Torino. So while he is not Eminem, he loves the city too.
February 6th, 2012 at 3:43 PM ^
I personally like the new one because it was about the country as whole. Perhaps it was a bit schmaltzy but it was powerful, nonetheless. The one with Eminem was good as well, but I think its production, rather than its message, was what I appreciated more than anything.
February 6th, 2012 at 3:48 PM ^
that we got this far into the thread without overt political comments. Far be it from me to ruin that now, nor am I inviting anyone else to pursue the political ramifications. And I thought Matthew Broderick was an odd choice for that other car ad.
February 6th, 2012 at 3:58 PM ^
...but the mood of the "Halftime in America" spot was such that reporters asked Obama's handlers, Plouffe and Axelrod, about it and they liked it; meanwhile, Chrysler, Marchionne and their agency all were called on to deny that there was any intended political messaging. So you were by no means alone in asking the question.
February 6th, 2012 at 4:02 PM ^
and it's been pointed out that the "protest" in the middle of the ad has all the slogans removed, Chrysler has to tread lightly going forward. I'll leave the rest for a political arena, which this is not.
February 6th, 2012 at 4:03 PM ^
Just wish it was for a better car than a damn Honda CRV.
February 6th, 2012 at 4:10 PM ^
I understand why people think there would be some political component present, what with the "It's America's half time" portion, but I didn't get a right or left thing there. I think it was just a rah-rah speech. If you want to say it's a promotion of the auto bailouts, I think you would need to point to a more explicit reference. And if it was an anti-incumbent ad, you'd have to point to more comments about changing things or restoring things, etc.
February 6th, 2012 at 10:25 PM ^
...but I think he was duped into doing a spot with political overtones. Halftime in America: Code for Obama halfway through his 8-year term... etc...
Even the strong suggestion of support for bailing out the auto companies was clearly present, IMHO.
I'm sure team Obama loved it.
February 6th, 2012 at 5:57 PM ^
Not much interest here in the halftime show, either. Not so OT, her being a Stockwell girl.
February 6th, 2012 at 7:42 PM ^
I had the exact same thought when I saw Matthew Broderick. Do these guys not do any research on the people they put in ads or do they just not care?
February 6th, 2012 at 3:59 PM ^
So I work in the auto industry for a supplier, but we work for just about every car company out there. I don't proclaim to be too much of an "insider" but here are some general thoughts.
First, I liked both ads. Both ads did the most important thing they could do - got people talking about Chrysler. Personally I thought the Eminem Ad missed slightly - the 200 is a pretty blah midsize sedan. Had the commercial featured the 300, i would have given it an A+. The bigget thing both ads did was put chrysler on the map. Chrysler was the closest to dead of the auto makers, and they're making a big recovery. Their January numbers were great (now their increased sales are almost all Ram, the Grand Cherokee and the Wrangler... which were their 3 good products before the downturn... but I digress). In the months after last year's superbowl Chrysler sold out of the "Imported from Detroit" merchandise. The message resonated.
This year's ad had a similar feel to it, in that it resonated with people. Some people are claiming it's political (not in the Rah Rah USA sense, but in the "the economic recovery is happening!" sense...) but I won't go there. It was again a 2 minute spot. Before the Eminem commercial no one had done a 2 minute spot. It featured many of their products, and really, the successful ones. Challenger, Grand Cherokee, Ram, Wrangler. In the big scheme of things, will this exact ad help them sell cars? Maybe. But it pumps a lot of good things about Chrysler. If you're wondering about their whole ad campaign, yes, it's working. Check out the ad at the bottom. That's been out a few months. Chrysler won't take any more orders for the 8 speed because they can't keep up with demand. That's as good a problem as you can have as an automaker. With the superbowl commercial they get people talking. Then they have ads that build on the theme (the one below is similar to the Eminem one, images of Detroit and such) and actually try to sell cars as well.
February 6th, 2012 at 4:59 PM ^
This is just a really well made ad - gets your attention and holds it, both visually and musically.
February 6th, 2012 at 6:37 PM ^
Basically a ride, leaving the Civic Center Garage (next to the Joe Louis/SI fist statue) driving up Woodward. Through Detroit neighborhoods (not necessarily Woodward) all the way out to Birmingham and then Cranbrook.
Not sure where the house is that is the guy ends up at, but to me it looks like one of the original Frank Lloyd Wright homes in Detroit (one is off of Woodward near Cranbrook, another one is off 7 Mile Rd in Palmer Park on the edge of the Country Club of Detroit's North Course).
February 6th, 2012 at 7:47 PM ^
I'm not from Detroit but know the area from my time at UM. I wonder if it make the same impression on someone completely unfamiliar.
February 6th, 2012 at 8:42 PM ^
I never thought of it that way, but I see where you're going with it. That said, if it is meant to be seen as a drive up Woodward, there are some almighty detours.
February 6th, 2012 at 4:56 PM ^
It was good. Somewhat disappointing to not see something more like last years but sometimes it's better not to go to the same well again. I give them credit for trying something different.
February 6th, 2012 at 5:21 PM ^
....I actually didn't mind the Eastwood commercial, although it just seemed a little too long and a little too "generic domestic auto industry", as opposed to the very Detroit-specific (and really more grabbing) Eminem commercial. I dare say the message of last night's commercial would have been a little more appropriate in the immediate wake of the bankruptcies in a way, because that was more the "we're working on it" period. Eminem's was bold and just said, "BAM! We're doing it!", and I liked seeing that sort of swagger slowly return to the domestic manufacturers.
February 6th, 2012 at 5:26 PM ^
February 6th, 2012 at 5:26 PM ^
We get it.. you're Detroit, shits hard, but you're still going... congrats... you're so awesome for not crumbling and fighting on.....
February 6th, 2012 at 5:40 PM ^
February 6th, 2012 at 5:45 PM ^
People always put way too much emphasis on where the final assembly of a car takes place. Whether the car is built within the city limits or Mexico, try moving the company HQ and see what happens to the region.
February 6th, 2012 at 5:41 PM ^
Clint Eastwood + Detroit = fantastic. One of my favorite actors (and BAMF) and my second favorite city (next to Ann Arbor) is a combination that would be hard to get wrong. I'll look past the fact that Chrysler is owned by Fiat.
February 6th, 2012 at 6:10 PM ^
...BUT it's not halftime.
It's more like the 2-minute warning, and America is down 100-0 vs REALITY.
Halftime would've been an accurate analogy for Clint to make in the '70s or early '80s. I thought Madonna's pseudo-Imperial Roman/Cleopatra styled entrance was dead to rights. I'm not sure if she meant to be ironic with that or not.
I can't bash Fiat for taking on Chrysler, because Chrysler probably would've been gone if Fiat hadn't gotten in the game. Marchionne has actually done a far better job with Chrysler than most auto pundits have predicted.
I do wonder how much of Eastwood's motivation was monetary versus his fond memories of filming "Gran Torino" around Detroit. He has gone on public record that his experiences on that shoot were very positive, and he was impressed with the hospitality of the locals. We'll probably never know.
I hate Eminem, particularly because there are so many other hip-hop and rap artists from Detroit that create much better tunes and carry much heavier street cred.
As for the 200, it is a bit 'blah' in the looks department, but the new 263 hp Pentastar V6 is a winner. It makes the top trim level 200s terrific sleepers that run uncomfortable close to the heavier 5.7L Hemi V8 cars.
Honda's Ferris Bueller ad was awful, and Broderick should be ashamed for defliing a legendary character in a classic film. Most of the other car ads were just flat out dumb.
February 6th, 2012 at 7:18 PM ^
I thought last year's was very original and had a clever bit of subversiveness ("This is America, but not New York City, or the Windy City...") that was perfect for Detroit's underdog self-image. This year's? Ehh, it was OK but not quite the same edginess. It's harder to make America an underdog.
February 6th, 2012 at 8:33 PM ^
Last year's ad came out of nowhere, without expectation, and quite simply sent shivers up the spines of most all those with a tie to Detroit or Michigan. As a brand-establishing commercial, it accomplished its goal- it got people talking about a car maker that they had forgotten by talking about a town they had given up on.
It's hard to measure up to something like that a year later, and this year's spot, although just as well produced, was only a shell of the first.
February 6th, 2012 at 9:15 PM ^
Last year's ad was stunned silence. Followed by thunderous applause. "Did I just see that?"
This year's ad did not, and could not, have the same impact.
February 7th, 2012 at 12:24 AM ^
Yeah, it was good but still had a "sequel" feel to it. And the sequel is never as good unless you're talking about "The Godfather".
February 6th, 2012 at 9:27 PM ^
While it was cool to see Eminem "representin'" I still think Chrysler cars are crap. The blatant appeal to provincal pride was very effective for those who consider themselves Detroiters. .
February 6th, 2012 at 9:34 PM ^
I think I enjoyed the one from last year a little more. It seemed more about Detroit.
February 6th, 2012 at 9:57 PM ^
Thought it was pretty fucking good.
Amazing how banal shit can still get you.
February 7th, 2012 at 12:21 AM ^
Clint is great, but I really liked last year's better. Just more moving with the music and using someone from Detroit.
February 7th, 2012 at 12:27 AM ^
I thought it was actually kind of moving to see Clint Eastwood- a man who is a living legend who likely doesn't have many years left - talking about the fight in an underdog...and not just that Detroit has been "knocked down" and is getting back up, but referring to all of America and how our economy was "knocked down", but as gutsy Americans who have a ton of heart and no quit in us, we get up and fight back. As someone who currently drives a foreign luxury sedan, I honestly want my next car to be from one of the Big 3.