Autoblog

Watch the video that inspired Ram's Farmer Super Bowl commercial

John Neff — Mon, 04 Feb 2013 12:45:00 EST

Filed under: Truck, Marketing/Advertising, Ram

Chrysler may have the Super Bowl's most popular commercial for a third year in a row. Eminem and Eastwood helped it earn that distinction the last two years, and while Oprah did the voiceover for this year's Jeep ad, it's Chrysler's other spot that's in the running for Most Valuable Ad after the big game this year.

So where did the Ram brand's commercial about farmers come from? As it turns out, the ad appears to be inspired, shall we say, by a video produced by Farms.com that was uploaded to YouTube in June, 2011. Greg Mitchell of The Nation pointed out the similarities between the two in an article published this morning. The video uses the same speech given by famed radio broadcaster Paul Harvey played over a slideshow of farming images. It's the same concept as Ram's ad, though the truck brand did go out and commission its own images shot by very well-known photographers for its version.

Did Ram steal the idea? That does not appear to be the case. A message left on the Farms.com YouTube video says "Farms.com is pleased to be working with Ram Trucks and support the 'Farmer' Super Bowl commercial." When you play the video, a link even pops up to watch Ram's version.

We called the agency responsible for the ad, The Richards Group, for comment, and were referred to Chrysler. We have yet to hear back, but will update this post as soon as we do. You can watch the Farms.com video for yourself below, as well as the Ram ad, and we've mashed the two together in this doubled-up version you can watch here.

Continue reading Watch the video that inspired Ram's Farmer Super Bowl commercial

Watch the video that inspired Ram's Farmer Super Bowl commercial originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 04 Feb 2013 12:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

"Halftime in America" primarily filmed in LA, New Orleans

Jeff Sabatini — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 18:31:00 EST

Filed under: Marketing/Advertising, Chrysler

Chrysler's tagline is "Imported From Detroit," but when it came to shooting this year's Super Bowl commercial, most of the job got exported to other locales. According to The Weekly Standard, much of the footage in the Chrysler ad, starring and narrated by actor Clint Eastwood, was shot in Los Angeles and New Orleans. The only footage of Detroit used in the "Halftime in America" commercial wasn't shot specifically for this year's ad, according to the report.

While this revelation isn't out-of-line given the imagery used, which was certainly less focused on Detroit than last year's Super Bowl commercial starring rapper Eminem, the fact that "Halftime in America" was not shot in Michigan is still another bitter pill to swallow for locals. Michigan's once-burgeoning film industry is reeling from state lawmakers' decision in October to cut film production incentives.

According to this report in The Huffington Post, the film industry was booming in the state before the cuts, leading to both job growth and millions spent by filmmakers on ancillary expenses. But a new state budget caps rebates to film productions at $25 million, nearly $100 million less than the state provided in 2010, according to the report. The decision has led some Hollywood producers to cancel plans to film in Michigan.

"Halftime in America" primarily filmed in LA, New Orleans originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 07 Feb 2012 18:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

What happened to the Chrysler Super Bowl commercial?

Jeff Sabatini — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 11:29:00 EST

Filed under: Videos, Chrysler

The gritty Chrysler Super Bowl commercial starring Clint Eastwood may not have been as much of a shock - or as universally well-regarded - as last year's Eminem spot, but it's certainly going to have cube-dwellers trawling YouTube to catch another viewing. Problem is, Chrysler's YouTube channel ran into some problems this morning. Viewers attempting to watch the commercial instead got a message saying "This video is no longer available due to a copyright claim by NFL Properties LLC."

When we reached Chrysler spokeswoman Diana Gutierrez earlier today, she could only say, "We are investigating right now."

The video did become available on the Chrsyler YouTube channel by 11:00 AM Eastern time, though we are awaiting some explanation of what happened from Chrysler's PR team. As a stopgap measure while the Chrysler channel was still down, the ad was posted to another Chrysler YouTube page, PentastarVideo. Still, Chrysler's problems during a high-traffic part of the day means it must have missed plenty of eyeballs.

Watch the video after the jump.

Continue reading What happened to the Chrysler Super Bowl commercial?

What happened to the Chrysler Super Bowl commercial? originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 06 Feb 2012 11:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Detroit City Council honors Chrysler's Super Bowl commercial [w/video]

Chris Shunk — Tue, 08 Mar 2011 16:20:00 EST

Filed under: Government/Legal, Marketing/Advertising, Videos, Chrysler

Chrysler's Super Bowl commercial - Click above to watch the video after the jump

Chrysler's two-minute long Super Bowl commercial won nationwide praise for its uplifting, can-do message about the embattled city of Detroit. And if you think the novella-sized spot for the Chrysler 200 was popular across the U.S., then you can imagine how the ad played within the borders of the city itself.

The Detroit Free Press reports that the Detroit City Council paid homage to the Eminem ad with an official recognition on Tuesday. The council tipped its hat to Team Pentastar for painting the city in a positive light, adding that the spot "helped to paint a positive portrayal of our beloved city on a national level by filming the entire commercial inside the city of Detroit and showcasing all of our great landmarks." Chrysler brand CEO Olivier Francois said that the ad paid homage to a great city and the home of the auto industry.

When we first saw the two-minute commercial we couldn't help but think that Chrysler should have featured the hot-looking 300 instead of the Sebring-derived 200 (even though the former is built in neighboring Canada). But in retrospect, we're thinking that the power of this ad made the car itself an afterthought in the long run. Hit the jump to watch the commercial again.

[Source: Detroit Free Press]

Continue reading Detroit City Council honors Chrysler's Super Bowl commercial [w/video]

Detroit City Council honors Chrysler's Super Bowl commercial [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 08 Mar 2011 16:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Chrysler's Eminem ad almost didn't happen, pair meeting today to discuss sequel

Jeff Glucker — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 13:01:00 EST

Filed under: Marketing/Advertising, Videos, Chrysler, Celebrities

Eminem and Chrysler are Imported from Detroit - Click above to watch video after the jump

The hit single Lose Yourself is the most successful song from Eminem's career to date. It's gone platinum four times over and was the first rap single ever to win an Academy Award for Best Original Song. Countless ad agencies and companies have tried to license it for use in commercials, yet none received permission... that is, until Chrysler's Super Bowl ad hit TV screens around the world.

Eminem and Chrysler both call Detroit home, so getting a real local hero on board for a Chrysler ad is quite a big deal. Oliver Francois, Chief Marketing Officer for Chrysler, met with Eminem and Lose Yourself co-writer Joel Martin to discuss the idea of using the song in an ad.

Martin and Eminem had turned down countless offers and millions of dollars to lend their song out for advertising efforts. Francois, however, approached Slim Shady from an angle that hit home: Chrysler is trying to rise from the ashes, as is Detroit and even Eminem himself.

Around the time when Chrysler declared bankruptcy, Eminem released an album called Relapse that sold poorly. Chrysler cars weren't selling, Detroit was an undesirable place to call home and Eminem had a weak album flopping on the charts. That was 2009, yet a couple of years later, Eminem finds himself nominated for 11 Grammy awards and Chrysler has a refreshed lineup hitting dealer showrooms.

Eminem decided to let Chrysler use Lose Yourself and also appeared in the Super Bowl spot, which garnered a lot of positive attention. Internet searches for the Chrysler 200 were way up shortly after the spot aired and the commercial is closing in on five million views on YouTube.

With a critical reception like that, it's no surprise that TheDetroitBureau.com is reporting that Francois and Eminem's posse are set to meet today in a closed-door session to discuss possible future collaborations, and the discussion is likely to center around a followup ad to the Super Bowl "Born of Fire" spot. Click past the jump for a quick refresher on the epic two-minute commercial.

[Sources: AOL Autos, TheDetroitBureau.com, Chrysler via YouTube]

Continue reading Chrysler's Eminem ad almost didn't happen, pair meeting today to discuss sequel

Chrysler's Eminem ad almost didn't happen, pair meeting today to discuss sequel originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 10 Feb 2011 13:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments