"This is the Motor City, and this is what we do."
There are a lot of ways to get a glimpse into what's happening in a culture's collective consciousness. In America, the best way is probably to watch TV commercials. The best TV commercials have a way of doing a bit more than selling a product. They speak directly to what people want to hear. Like any art form, most instances are disposable, and most of the rest are just plain off the mark. But when it hits, even a TV commercial can be transcendant.
Chrysler and Eminem pull it off with the new one that aired during the Super Bowl:
Damn. A message about rising above hardship, about finding beauty in poverty, about a place being more than its negative portrayal in the media, and it's all engaging as hell. It's selling a car, yes, but more improtantly, it's selling Detroit, and doing a fine job of it.
Compare that to the cast of Glee's retro rendition of the famous 1950s advertisement, "See The U.S.A. In Your Chevrolet."
Likewise, this is a fantastic advertisement, and it comes at the same concept as the Chrysler commerical from a different direction. While Chrysler appeals to a sort of hardscrabble, working class Americana, Chevy opts for all out nostalgia, harkening straight back to the rose-tinted glasses of an earlier time. If Chrysler's selling Detorit, the cast of Glee here is selling patriotism, and an old-fashioned brand, at that. It's wickedly stylish, both sexy and innocent at the same time, and completely devoid of irony. A completely different tactic than the Eminem bit, but still, you can't miss that the creators have touched on a few hot threads: that audiences really want to look at the future with the eyes that they once did. They want to believe in America.
Perhaps oddly, I don't find either ad cynical or manipulative, because I think the belief they're tapping into is legitimate. And indeed, it's the sort of belief that's neccesary for rising above economic hardship and inane political bickering. On the whole, while both are expertly produced, I'd have to say the Eminem one is a bit better. One asks you to beleive in America, which is all well and good, but the other asks you to believe in people. And that's compelling.
Now if only I could afford a new car ....
Chrysler and Eminem pull it off with the new one that aired during the Super Bowl:
Damn. A message about rising above hardship, about finding beauty in poverty, about a place being more than its negative portrayal in the media, and it's all engaging as hell. It's selling a car, yes, but more improtantly, it's selling Detroit, and doing a fine job of it.
Compare that to the cast of Glee's retro rendition of the famous 1950s advertisement, "See The U.S.A. In Your Chevrolet."
Likewise, this is a fantastic advertisement, and it comes at the same concept as the Chrysler commerical from a different direction. While Chrysler appeals to a sort of hardscrabble, working class Americana, Chevy opts for all out nostalgia, harkening straight back to the rose-tinted glasses of an earlier time. If Chrysler's selling Detorit, the cast of Glee here is selling patriotism, and an old-fashioned brand, at that. It's wickedly stylish, both sexy and innocent at the same time, and completely devoid of irony. A completely different tactic than the Eminem bit, but still, you can't miss that the creators have touched on a few hot threads: that audiences really want to look at the future with the eyes that they once did. They want to believe in America.
Perhaps oddly, I don't find either ad cynical or manipulative, because I think the belief they're tapping into is legitimate. And indeed, it's the sort of belief that's neccesary for rising above economic hardship and inane political bickering. On the whole, while both are expertly produced, I'd have to say the Eminem one is a bit better. One asks you to beleive in America, which is all well and good, but the other asks you to believe in people. And that's compelling.
Now if only I could afford a new car ....
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