Chrysler, Clint Eastwood respond to criticism that Super Bowl ad was political

Zach Bowman — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 11:28:00 EST

Filed under: Etc., Government/Legal, Marketing/Advertising, Chrysler

Chrysler has found itself in a bit of tangle with the company's Super Bowl ad featuring Clint Eastwood. In it, Eastwood speaks to viewers about "Halftime in America," specifically referring to Chrysler's recovery while drawing parallels with Detroit's own resurrection.

If Chrysler were hoping to put its weight behind a second term for President Obama, it chose an odd spokesperson in Eastwood.

Republicans like Karl Rove have come out in opposition of the ad, saying the spot was overtly political. It doesn't take massive leaps to see a potential correlation between the tagline "Halftime in America," itself a play on Ronald Reagan's famous "It's morning in America" line, and the current election season. Yet, in a radio interview yesterday, Chrysler Chairman and CEO Sergio Marchionne denied the advertisement was meant to do anything but stoke positive feelings toward the car company.

If Chrysler were hoping to put its weight behind a second term for President Obama, it chose an odd spokesperson in Eastwood. The actor has publicly spoken out against the auto bailouts in the past and even served as the Republican mayor of Carmel, California in the '80s. Hardly seems like the guy for pro-Obama flag waiving. A representative from Eastwood's production company told the Detroit Free Press, "The ad is not intended to have a political message, but rather one of American pride and job growth."

As if stepping into the pre-election mess weren't bad enough for Chrysler, the automaker also found itself in the midst of a copyright spat with NFL over the ad that saw the video yanked from YouTube just as it could have drawn the most traffic. The video later appeared on a separate channel. Follow the jump to watch the spot one more time.

Continue reading Chrysler, Clint Eastwood respond to criticism that Super Bowl ad was political

Chrysler, Clint Eastwood respond to criticism that Super Bowl ad was political originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 07 Feb 2012 11:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

So long, farewell: Pranksters target the Architect's Jag

Frank Filipponio — Thu, 30 Aug 2007 16:36:00 EST

Filed under: Etc., Jaguar

As a wrap-up to a very memorable career as "The Architect," Karl Rove's Jaguar was covered in plastic wrap by some White House jokers. Rove is the man considered to be the mastermind behind George W. Bush winning both his Presidential bids, but it couldn't stop him from getting punked. While away in Texas, Rove apparently left his Jaguar in a parking lot adjacent to the White House's West Wing. When he got back into town, he found his Jag had not only been wrapped, but two small Bald Eagles were mounted to the trunk and signs were placed on it that read "King Karl" and "I love Obama." CBS News added that because of the heavy security that usually monitors the White House, they were suspecting it was an inside job. Oh, those nutty news people.

[Source: CBS News]

So long, farewell: Pranksters target the Architect's Jag originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 30 Aug 2007 16:36:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments