Chrysler scored another win this year at the Superbowl with their Jeep ad. With the voice of Oprah underscoring Jeep’s appreciate for our men and women in arms fighting for us over there, it won over the same crowd that loved the previous ads with Clint Eastwood and Eminem. It seems like they wanted to really go all out since that wasn’t the only Chrysler ad that played during the big game. While it’s the one everyone is talking about the most, the Ram ‘Farmer’ ad is still one hot on everyone’s lips.
The question that many people were asking the days following the commercial were where did the idea come from? Greg Mitchell of The Nation found another video on YouTube that is similar to the Ram Ad. It was uploaded in June of 2011 and features the same speech from Paul Harvey. The biggest difference is that Ram went out and got their own footage and images of farming for their commercial.
So, is it a cut-and-dry scandal of ripping off a YouTube video? Appears that it’s not really the case. A message on the page for the video says “Farms.com is pleased to be working with Ram Trucks and support the ‘Farmer’ Super Bowl commercial.” Plus when you watch their video, there is also a link to the Ram version.
Seems like Chrysler just saw an ad they enjoyed and wanted to expand it to put it on a national stage. There doesn’t appear to be anything scandalous going on, especially when the group responsible for the original ad highlights their cooperation.
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Much has been said about the incredible job the marketing team with Chrysler has been doing. “Half-Time in America” was a hit with fans when it aired during the Superbowl. Before that, “Imported from Detroit” featuring Eminem in it was capturing the attention of buyers and critics alike. Chrysler wants to keep that momentum going, and to do so will be releasing a new special edition vehicle in honor of the 10th anniversary of Eminem’s popular movie, 8 Mile.
According to NBC news, Chrysler will be putting out a special edition of the Chrysler 200 sedan. That’s not all, however, as the company has another release planned. To tie-in with the new Broadway show, Motown: The Musical, there will be a Chrysler 300 based around the show. The tie-in campaigns that these vehicles are part of stem from comments Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne made that emphasized the auto-maker’s roots in Detroit. Olivier Francois, Chrysler’s global marketing chief, went even further by saying, “We needed to give Detroit credit for what it really does stand for”
No word yet on to what degree Eminem himself will be involved with the promotion of the sedan. Chrysler is currently getting ready to show off even more of their premium vehicles during the SEMA show, scheduled to happen over the Halloween week. Keep your eyes and ears peeled to the future to see what develops out of that auto-show.
Over the weekend, Forbes published an article titled “Chrysler Is Proving Right To Ditch ‘Imported From Detroit’” which made the argument that Chrysler’s series of commercials with Clint Eastwood were a misfire. The article was positive about the 2011 Chrysler Super Bowl ad with Eminem which kicked off the “Imported From Detroit” campaign, but writer Dale Buss claims the campaign “jumped the shark” with the 2012 Super Bowl ad.
Here is the original ad and the transcript of Eastwood’s speech.
It’s halftime. Both teams are in the locker room discussing what they can do to win this game in the second half. It’s halftime in America, too. People are out of work and hurting and they’re all wondering what they’re going to do to make a comeback, and we’re all scared because this isn’t a game. The people of Detroit know a little something about this. They almost lost everything, but we all pulled together. Now Motor City is fighting again. I’ve seen a lot of tough eras, a lot of downturns in my life, times when we didn’t understand each other. It seems that we’ve lost our heart at times. The fog of division, discord, and blame made it hard to see what lies ahead. But after those trials, we all rallied around what was right and acted as one because that’s what we do. We find a way through tough times, and if we can’t find a way, then we make one. All that matters now is what’s ahead. How do we come from behind? How do we come together, and how do we win? Detroit is showing us it can be done, and what’s true about them is true about all of us. This country can’t be knocked out with one punch. We get right back up again, and when we do, the world’s going to hear the roar of our engines. Yeah, it’s halftime, America, and our second half is about to begin.
According to Buss, the “Halftime in America” ad doesn’t work because Chrysler was not a “credible underdog” since Chrysler sales improved in 2011. Besides that, he claims that “the object of [Eastwood’s] anger wasn’t clear” and pointed to 30 Rock‘s recent spoof of the ad as proof that the campaign was laughably bad.
Here is why Buss is wrong.
2011 was a great year for Chrysler. No one is denying that. Everyone at Chrysler is thrilled, but they know that their work is not done. The point of “Halftime in America” is not to paint Chrysler as the perpetual underdog. To continue the sports analogy, Chrysler is not an automotive Charlie Brown trying to kick a football that keeps getting pulled away at the last minute. They scored touchdown after touchdown in 2011, but in 2012, they are going to face new challenges. Just yesterday, the Wall Street Journal highlighted the Japanese auto industry’s recovery from last year’s natural disasters and predicted that this year is going to be highly competitive between U.S., German, South Korean, and Japanese auto makers.
“Halftime in America” is an ad with a two main messages. First, the ad was meant to inspire Americans who are still struggling. Eastwood speech was meant for people who are out of work and can’t see a light at the end of the tunnel. Americans can look at the comeback that Chrysler made in 2011 and be inspired by that. Some people wrongly interpreted this part of the ad as Chrysler and Eastwood endorsing President Obama. I’m still baffled as to where people got this idea, but for the record, Eastwood is very openly conservative and claims the only time he voted Democrat was for Gray Davis in the California governor race. He didn’t see the ad as politically motivated but as a “message about job growth and the spirit of America.”
Secondly, the ad sends the message that Chrysler isn’t getting lazy or complacent just because they had a good year. As Eastwood says in the ad, “Motor City is fighting again.” The game isn’t over; it’s just begun. Eastwood’s monologue is meant to be fighting words, but they aren’t out of anger at Chrysler’s competitors. Instead, they are meant to convey a message to Chrysler’s loyal customers, saying, “We are back, and we aren’t going anywhere.”
It is too bad that Buss has such a jaded view towards “Halftime in America” and towards Chrysler. His whole attitude can be summed up in this assessment of Chrysler: “…a hoary automotive brand from Flyover Country.” People like Buss will scoff at Chrysler as cars from Flyover Country, and in the same breath, they will say Chrysler is “no longer a credible underdog.”
This is exactly why Chrysler keeps working and fighting. The second half has begun. Chrysler sees the challenges ahead, and to the people like Buss who remain unconvinced, Chrysler is ready to prove them wrong.
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Chrysler scored another win this year at the Superbowl with their Jeep ad. With the voice of Oprah underscoring Jeep’s appreciate for our men and women in arms fighting for us over there, it won over the same crowd that loved the previous ads with Clint Eastwood and Eminem. It seems like they wanted to really go all out since that wasn’t the only Chrysler ad that played during the big game. While it’s the one everyone is talking about the most, the Ram ‘Farmer’ ad is still one hot on everyone’s lips.
