Detroit car commercials and Super Bowl

[66andBlue]

I am not much of a fan of American football but I do like to watch the Super Bowl game because of the commercials.
Last year the Wieden+Kennedy agency had an interesting Chrysler ad with Eminem:
http://www.freep.com/article/20110207/COL32/110207004/1318/SPORTS18/Video-Did-you-feel-Ad-says-Motor-City-back?odyssey=mod
and this year they followed up with Clint Eastwood and "Halftime in America":
http://www.freep.com/article/20120205/BUSINESS0103/302060003/Watch-Clint-Eastwood-Chrysler-s-Super-Bowl-ad?odyssey=mod|mostview

I thought both ads actually were more about the city of Detroit than about Chrysler and I did like them both.
I did not care for the one with the Silverado and Mayan Calendar- and not just because it made fun of Ford - it reminded me of cheap Hollywood B movies:
http://www.freep.com/article/20120206/BUSINESS01/202060374/GM-Super-Bowl-2012-ad-just-joke-Ford-not-laughing?odyssey=mod|mostview

[Ulf]

Nice ones both of them, but both failed to mention that they are now owned and run by Fiat ;-)

[mdsalemi]

Nice ones both of them, but both failed to mention that they are now owned and run by Fiat ;-)

Not quite, Ulf.

When the first commercial was aired, in February of 2011, Fiat was a minority owner in Chrysler, with about 25% interest.  The majority owner was the UAW (workers VEBA trust, actually)
By the airing of the second commercial on Sunday, now Fiat has a majority interest, something over 52%.  However they have been making the benchmarks set by the government and their interest in Chrysler is scheduled to go to 100% before the end of 2012.  But, they are not there yet--the VEBA, the US and Canadian governments still have something to say.

Alfred, if the Silverado spot reminded you of cheap Hollywood B movies, well I suppose they achieved their goal!  I watched the commercial on Youtube on Friday; they already had plenty of hits on Friday afternoon long before the Sunday airing.  As you might have surmised, the people at Ford (my wife being one of them; surrounded by and serving the marketing groups at Ford and Lincoln) "were not amused".  There is a long history of these "****-for-tat" commercials about trucks, but rarely does anyone take what amounts to a cheap shot like this one.  Personally I think they (Ford) ought to internally, with their ad agencies, come up with a retort, just for amusement and not for commercial purposes.  Would keep the ad people and employees happy--nothing like a little revenge, eh?  But, since the Ford F-series--the truck poor Dave who didn't make it drove--has outsold every car and truck made for many years, Ford isn't too concerned about a public anything I'm sure.  Everyone we talked to loved the part about the Twinkies.  I wonder how much Hostess (are they not bankrupt?) had to pay for that co-branding.  The raining frogs--one of the Biblical plaques from Exodus--was a nice touch at the end.

Speaking of "hits" the Acura NSX (tnx for correction) spot with Jerry Seinfeld and Jay Leno had over 10,000,000 hits when I saw that one on Friday afternoon on Youtube.  They showed it twice in the Superbowl, each with a slightly different edit.

I agree with Alfred about the Clint Eastwood commercial for Chrysler: more about Detroit than the Chrysler vehicle, unlike last year's Eminem ad for the 200.  This year's spot was more generic and didn't tout any one specific car.

[Norm]

Not to be too picky but the Seinfeld / Leno spot was for the Acura NSX.

Norm
94 Red NSX
66 Blue Grey 230 SL

[mdsalemi]

You are right Norm, a car that "may" be released in 2015.  Goes to show you how much the stars and the production overshadowed the product!

[66andBlue]

Ulf,
I would have phrased it a little different: Chrysler and Fiat are both run by Sergio Marchionne, whose management style appears to be more Canadian than Italian.
Perhaps one day we'll watch a similar commercial featuring Torino - I mean the city and not Eastwood's movie featuring a Ford Torino.

[glenn]

Did they show the Silverado running over Chrysler and GM shareholders and bond holders, we taxpayers, and the rule of law?  Was the driver wearing a union label??......

[knockmacool]

I was at a FIAT roadshow presentation in the late 90s and the CFO volunteered it cost the company half the money to produce an identical car in Brazil as it did in Italy, so I asked the obvious question. Needless to say, I never became a shareholder.
Fortunately for American car workers, costs in both Brazil and China are increasing at a phenomenal rate, but when one thinks of automotive excellence (with all due respect) Detroit still doesn't come first. It's going to be a long, hard second half...

[mdsalemi]

Did they show the Silverado running over Chrysler and GM shareholders and bond holders, we taxpayers, and the rule of law?  Was the driver wearing a union label??......

LOVING IT!  Great catch, Glenn--good for a chuckle this morning...

[Benz Dr.]

Ulf,
I would have phrased it a little different: Chrysler and Fiat are both run by Sergio Marchionne, whose management style appears to be more Canadian than Italian.
Perhaps one day we'll watch a similar commercial featuring Torino - I mean the city and not Eastwood's movie featuring a Ford Torino.

How is management in Canada diffrent than in Italy? Aside from the finacial condition each country is in, what would be the outstanding reference? I've never been to Italy so I can't say what's different aside from language. If you go to Woodbridge ( a suburb of Toronto ) you might actually believe you were in Italy.

[66andBlue]

Hi Dan,
you might want to read up on him: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sergio_Marchionne
"Marchionne has a preference for dealing directly with managers and other employees and is reported to have been perplexed and even shocked, when he first arrived at Fiat, by the practice of other executives of communicating with each other through their secretaries. Confirming his preference for a more collegiate style, at Chrysler his office is located on fourth floor which is the same floor as the engineering department, as opposed to the top-floor penthouse which is now empty where a chairman and three vice chairmen used to be."

[Iconic]

"Marchionne has a preference for dealing directly with managers and other employees ....."

I work in Marchionne's organization (Case New Holland Agriculture and Construction equipment).
I've never had the pleasure of meeting him, but I can attest to the fact that he is one great business man.
Iconic
"It's half time America", Enjoy the Ride

[Benz Dr.]

Hummmmmm...... so where does that place me? I'm right there with my staff getting my hands dirty just like they are.

[Tom Colitt]

I was at a FIAT roadshow presentation in the late 90s and the CFO volunteered it cost the company half the money to produce an identical car in Brazil as it did in Italy, so I asked the obvious question. Needless to say, I never became a shareholder.
Fortunately for American car workers, costs in both Brazil and China are increasing at a phenomenal rate, but when one thinks of automotive excellence (with all due respect) Detroit still doesn't come first. It's going to be a long, hard second half...

...and how much money does a German autoworker make?.... I'm just sayin' ;-)....

[mdsalemi]

There's another Chrysler commercial playing on television now, for the 200.  It shows the 200 on the highway (in Detroit, but most of you would never know that) and clearly it shows the 200 from the vantage point of the backseat of another car on the highway.

That "other car" where the camera was, was my friend Peter Williams' Mercedes-Benz 300D.  The producers specified a car for the shoot, came to Peter, and paid him relatively well.  You cannot, unless you freeze frame and know precisely what you are looking at, determine that it is a 300D.