Sorry. Yes it is. Please accept my humblest apologies. I like this. Quite a lot actually. I'm not normally a fan of these big, set-piece types of nonsense. But this ad from Chrysler feels challenging and genuine. GM is dying on its arse, Americans appear from a distance to have fallen out of love with their own cars and manufacturers. The makers themselves aren't keeping up with the standards of the best far east and European manufacturers. So as an ad-man, what do you do? Give people another reason to choose. Or reason to reconsider. I think this piece achieves the power that it's clearly aiming for, and manages to imbue the brand with the attitude of a city. It paints a picture of a city with attitude, and stance of a fighter on the ropes, not willing to go down. Defiant. And it challenges the problem head on. I like that. And I like the fact that it feels like a message, not just another pleasant piece of advertising fluff. Maybe our kind US readers can tell me whether it stands up in the States?
The car's a bit ropey though. Damn.
Doesn't work for me (a Canadian) and I reckon it won't do much in the US.
ReplyDeleteThe "our city is a dump" message might work for a pickup truck or a muscle car.
But Detroit and luxury just don't go together.
I suspect that this was never intended to sell cars. I'll bet it's a feel-good piece aimed at Chrysler workers.
Very nice piece of advertising.
ReplyDeleteAlthough the smartarse in me thinks, if that's the route your taking, don't fuck about with "Slim" - just get Eastwood in and have done with it.
I like the direction, it wouldn't make me buy a Chrysler (but nothing would). For me it's bad casting - he looks like he just borrowed daddy's car, it actually made me laugh out loud when he got out of the car.
ReplyDeleteEminem is from Detroit.
ReplyDeleteeastwood is too west coast to sell an east coast car. but he would at least say "tough" and "class" in the same character. I love eminem, but rap stars never say "luxury" to me, they say "gangsta" (I live in the US)
ReplyDeleteClearly the casting brief was 'famous and from Detroit' (although I've just read that Eminem isn't actually from Detroit, he just moved there when he was 12?) but surely there are some that would have been more appropriate - how about Alice Cooper? even Madonna?? and yes I did just Google famous and from Detroit!
ReplyDeleteMaybe the casting brief was "famous, affordable and from Detroit."
ReplyDeleteI suspect you might be right!
ReplyDeleteEvidently Kid Rock is the most obvious choice for "famous, from Detroit, and supporting the regeneration of Detroit". However, his audience a bit more "lairy knobhead". Herr Mathers it seems, is the sober, more grown-up face of new Detroit.
ReplyDeleteI'm a student in the US, and most of the feedback I've heard about this ad has been positive. Especially among other students, the use of Eminem was very well received; everyone knows he's "from" Detroit and the song of his in the background is perfect. I did hear that the artwork shown was originally intended as anti-auto industry, though. So that seems like kind of an oversight.
ReplyDelete