Rigo Martinez

Ms. Cook       

Writing 122

31 October 2013

Chrysler Commercial Ad is a “No Go”

Many will remember the Chrysler commercial of the Super Bowl half-time of 2011. The video starts off with Eminem cruising around in a Chrysler 200, in Detroit. A narrator begins to speak with a loud and intense voice. The narrator asks what they think a city that’s been through tough times know about luxury, or the “finer things in life”. He then says that that city would know it better than most others. He then says that the reasons for this are that the “hottest fires make the hardest metals”, and that hard work, beliefs, and knowledge, are what Detroit and Chrysler are all about. The narrator is comparing the city of Detroit to Chrysler in those aspects.

            This Commercial advertisement features celebrity rapper Eminem (whose real name is Marshal Bruce Mathers III). The commercial also plays the tune of one of Eminem’s most popular songs “Lose Yourself”. Over the last Decade, Eminem has been approached over 100 times in order to license this classic song (Kiley). According to Joel Martin, up until this commercial, he had refused all bidders and turned down millions of dollars in doing so (Martin qtd. In Kiley). Joel Martin controls the Eminem music catalog and has one-third of the writing credit on the song. I believe that this isn’t a good advertisement because it is exaggerated and Chrysler has poor reliability.

            “Many Chrysler vehicles rank at the bottom of our ratings in their categories,” according to consumerreports.org. In terms of recommendation, none of the current Chrysler vehicles were able to meet the requirements (Consumer Reports). In fact, most of the newer models which have been tested were mediocre at best. They were also below average in the many reliability surveys (Consumer Reports). Some small improvements have been seen in Chrysler vehicles that are already existing models, but very little promise in future models is expected (Consumer Reports).

            However, there is the argument that the reliability data is based off of subscribers’ experiences from 1.3 million vehicles (Kiley). Apparently, the consumer publication had no data for 26 2009 and 2010 Chrysler vehicles with which to further add to Chrysler’s reliability score (Kiley). Reliability scores make up half of an automaker’s score, so many can see how this should be deemed important by consumers. This is a recent change, as prior to 2010, driving test scores carried more weight than reliability scores (Consumer Reports).

            Not only is reliability an issue, but this commercial advertisement is quite exaggerated. The commercial shows Eminem driving in a Chrysler 200.  Eminem himself does not drive this car. Instead he sports a Hummer H2, by General Motors, which isn’t even close to a Chrysler (Gibson). Another thing is that Eminem did not even want to be in the commercial in the first place. He only agreed to be in it after being persuaded by Chrysler chief marketing officer Olivier Francois (Kiley). Francois began selling Martin (Eminem’s music catalog controller) on how he wanted to feature Eminem and his song “Lose Yourself” on the Chrysler commercial. He got Eminem and Martin to agree by telling him that he wished to show Eminem’s music, and the city of Detroit, to the Super Bowl audience; The largest tv audience of the year (Kiley). Eminem and Martin, whom both originate from Detroit, were convinced that it would be a good idea. Francois let the rapper and Martin drive a fresh-off-the-line Chrysler 200 and Chrysler 300. Eminem and Martin would not have agreed to the commercial If it weren’t for the love of their city and a chance to show their music to a large Super Bowl audience.

            In conclusion, Many people have tried to feature Eminem in their advertisements, but failed. Eminem has turned down millions of dollars and hundreds of commercials; he would only agree on special terms. But, Francois of Chrysler took a different approach to this; by convincing Eminem that this was a chance to show off his Detroit to the millions of viewers. Eminem being in  Francois’ commercial makes it very appealing to many. Playing “Lose Yourself” also adds to the commercial. In my opinion this is not a good advertisement because of the exaggeration the narrator uses to describe Chrysler. Eminem does not even drive a Chrysler in the first place; it is all for show. Also, Chrysler has poor reliability. This commercial only seems fit for entertainment purposes, at best.

Kiley, David. “The Inside Story: Chrysler’s Risky Eminem super Bowl Commercial.” AOL Autos.     AOL Autos, 8 Feb. 2013. Web. 10 Novemeber 2013.

“What’s Good, What’s bad, What’s Next.” Consumer Reports. Consumer Reports, 13 Jan. 2011.

            Web. 10 November 2013.

Gibson, Joseph. “Eminem’s Car.” Celebrity Networth. Celebrity Network, 4 Jun. 2011. Web. 10

            November 2013.