Imported from Detroit

Being from Windsor (Canada's automotive capital), I have always had a soft spot for this ad. Several members of my family work for Chrysler and Windsor was hit pretty hard by the domestic automotive industry crash in 2008. And that's what frames these ads: A very public, industry-wide bankruptcy of domestic car companies.

People's confidence in domestic car companies was shattered; years of inept management, shoddy craftsmanship, as well as a union of workers who were publicly perceived as being greedy. This ad was not about advertising 0% financing, or a sale, it was about advertising Detroit, and by that extension, domestically made cars in general. It can even be argued that this is ad which seeks to romanticize American manufacturing in general.

The ad begins by panning around industrial shots of Detroit and showing it's Gothic architecture. A famous mural is shown of industrial laborers working on an assembly line. It's cold outside, and the narrator speaks in a gruff, strong tone. But as the ad continues, things change. The narrator mentions that you shouldn't believe everything you read in the papers about Detroit. At this point the shot of Football players jogging in the snow changes to a figure skater, followed by shots of a shiny new car driving by a music hall displaying only a sign saying "Keep Detroit Beautiful". The music tempo changes from frightening opera music to empowering rap music. This is an ad about rebirth.

This ad came out in 2011 and tells a story about the fall of Detroit, while alluding to its inevitable pheonix-like return to flame from ashes (and as the narrator points out ' its the hottest flames make the hardest steel'). It seeks to showcase the heritage of Detroit and tell the audience that where you're from is equally important as where you are. And that's what Chrysler has over its foreign competitors, a well-recognized history. People have worked in manufacturing for generations in Detroit, and in Detroit "this is what we do".

The emotional appeal of this ad is off the charts. Many audiences members get goose-bumps seeing the run down buildings of Detroit and hearing the narrator ask "What does a city that's been to hell and back know about luxury?". The ad triggers a strong emotional reaction that makes the audience feel the grit and toughness of the city of Detroit. This grit and toughness is then transferred to Chrysler itself, making the audience think that somehow grittiness will somehow solve bankruptcy.


Oh, and notable Detroit-born, rap superstar Eminem delivers that last line in the ad too, which is a fantastic finishing touch.