Chrysler vs. Mini.....so proud of you Detroit.

 

  First off, I'll start by saying that I am probably only one in about a handful of People that isn't even remotely interested in football, but ironically I AM interested in Cars.  I think I have a latent Boy gene that has somehow gone wrong,  but who cares...I'm happy with who I am.

  I will say that even though I did NOT watch the Superbowl last night,  I did catch the only 2 commercials regarding cars,  and it was only because I was called down to check them out.

  Now these cars are obviously both in a class to themselves, but I will say that Mini cooper showed the LEAST amount of class last night with their ad campaign and Chrysler was the victor without a doubt.

 Now that being said,  I actually OWN a Mini cooper,  and love it.

If I could marry a car, it would be this one.

but last night,  well that was just embarrassing. 

  Instead of focusing on the little car's rich racing history and iconic imagery,  they defaulted to cheap innuendo and sophomoric humor.

yes,  the car is cute,  and sometimes humorous, but it has an amazing history that should have been more of the focus.  it's one of the reasons I wanted to buy the car in the first place.  I wanted something different, and unique.  I also wanted something that didn't use a ton of fuel,  yet was still sporty and had a race car feel to it (insert boy tendencies here)

 So this car really spoke to me.

 I loved how it was so tiny,  yet so powerful.....a winner of many road rallies and a champion in the 1965 Monte Carlo rally. the year of my birth.

 we were just meant to be together. 

Plus I loved that it was imported.

 

I can't say enough about this car, and I am more than happy to own one....except that Mini,  you could have done better with your ad campaign last night.  shame on you.

  Now Chrysler is also a car that has a racing history

The 1956 Chrysler 300B was a dominant force in Nascar and open road races. (plus it looked pretty cool too.)

classic American Styling that I LOVE.

oh America,  how we love to build the big cars.

 yes, i'll admit we still own a big ole American truck in addition to our mini.

I am proud of American automobiles.  there is something powerful and liberating about them. 

I grew up here in Michigan,  it must just be in my blood, I just don't like having to pay for gas to drive one. 

So last night when I saw the Chrysler commercial,

well,  it made me proud.

proud of our state.  

proud of the Motor city

proud of Detroit. 

 there are so many wonderful things about Detroit that people forget about,

Motown was here....the birthplace of amazing music.

The D.I.A. where you can see that mural that's in the commercial painted by Diego Rivera 

there is Slow's BBQ.... by far the best barbeque I have ever tasted.

Mexican town and Southwest Detroit.

gorgeous architecture.

the renaissance center

The Detroit Urban craft fair

Tiger stadium/ Ernie Harwell

Avalon Bread

plus a growing number of Artists and artisans that are helping to

revive certain portions of Detroit.

and this is only the tip of the Iceberg when it comes to the amazing things that the city has to offer.

 So in conclusion,  I have to say that a simple commercial about a car 

was more than just that,

 It made a struggling city shine.  I may own an imported vehicle, but

'Imported from Detroit'

well,  that is certainly something you can be proud of for sure.

 

Comments

[julie]

I loved the Chrysler commercial...while I'm usually pretty critical of car ads, I really think they got it right this time.

[Tammy Conlan]

I live in very southern MI and I completely agree with your entire post! I woke up thinking about the Chrysler commercial this morning, again, it was beautifully done and meaningful. I love their other commercial they have that's in black and white with all the old time glamour too - kudos to Chrysler for doing it right.

my friend shared your blog with me, I just started following - LOVE your work and your blog! thanks for sharing your ideas!

[Sara S]

I missed both of those commercials but I watched them now and I completely agree with you on both counts. Thanks for sharing the link to the Chrysler one, it makes me proud and I'm not from Michigan! I did see this one that I thought was humorous and kinda fun to watch. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NGN4J6F_vI

[jackie]

Amen sister to American made cars! We are partners in a Ford dealership and I am proud of what Ford has done! I love your car and we have a volkswagen bug that was my sisters ( she passed away 3 years ago with lung cancer) and my husband wanted to keep it.
I have never been to Detroit but my husband has several times on business. Maybe one day we will together because I know it is a special place! Thanks for sharing!