Chrysler Has A City To Sell To You

Chrysler is proud of the fact that they did NOT release their Super Bowl ad on YouTube like most of the others. “While many sponsors revealed their advertising plans for Sunday’s Super Bowl, the Chrysler brand remained tight lipped to create a stronger impact for the reveal of their new marketing and advertising campaign featuring famous Detroiter, Eminem,” their press release says.Their unprecedented 120 second spot (in the advertising world, that counts as feature-length) supposedly sold the new 2011 Chrysler 200, and ( we gave you fair warning) introduced the brand’s brand new tagline, “Imported from Detroit.”Chrysler should apply for funds from Detroit’s city development agency, because the ad is mainly an ad for Detroit, with the Chrysler 200 as a product placement. Why? As the off speaker says, “Because when it comes to luxury it’s as much about where it’s from as who it’s for.”Chrysler is playing a risky gamble with this ad. The power of the national identity of a brand is overvalued, and often, it turns into a liability. This is why large international brands usually try the utmost to disassociate themselves from where they are from. With everybody knowing that the Italians are calling the shots at Chrysler, the gamble becomes twice as risky.No wonder that Detroit is ecstatic about the ad. “Detroit had a presence on that very important national stage — and a message,” jubilates the Freep. However, the Detroit paper had to concede: “Don’t know if it will sell cars. But Sunday night, it sold a city.”Like any audacious gamble, it could be a win or a lose. Give us your odds.