Would The Real Detroit Please Stand Up?

As a gearhead, I know enough about the cars sold on television not to be affected by the commercials, but despite that, I found myself among the millions taken by Chrysler’s “Imported From Detroit” Super Bowl spot. Part ad for the Chrysler 200, part civic boosterism for Detroit (perhaps even more the latter than the former), the spot struck a chord that, frankly, I don’t believe has been felt since 1984’s Morning In America.

But why? Why has every Motor City native I know (and many that I don’t) adopted Imported From Detroit (Detroit Advecto Ex if they’re the formal type) as their personal motto, and why did the rest of us sit up and take notice?

As I’m one of them, I’ll start with “the rest of us.” The car-buying segment of the marketplace is increasingly being taken over by people who grew up cynics, especially in the case of the American auto industry. (See my previous post, Horses to Water, for further evidence.) While we might like to live in a world of football, meat pies, kangaroos, and Holden Cars baseball, hot dogs, apple pie, and Chevrolet, we’re far too suspicious to buy into anything portrayed through rose-tinted glasses.

Meanwhile, as I’m not one of them, I can only speculate about why Detroiters have been so taken with the ad, but knowing a few of them, my conjectures at least have some basis. To wit, it’s obvious when talking to a Detroit native that they overflow with both civic pride and frustration that the rest of the country remains ignorant of all the good things their city has to offer. Furthermore, they wish the auto industry would stop running from “Detroit” as an epithet, and instead embrace the city’s unique style and take some pride in its role as the nation’s industrial heart.

Fortunately for you readers, the previous two paragraphs dovetail nicely into the following conclusion. Namely, how did one Chrysler ad outshine Kia’s two goofball spots and Chevy’s go-jillion commercials? Simply put: by bucking convention. Instead of obsequiously bowing to the coastal crowd, Chrysler wrapped itself in Detroit without apology, embracing its neighbors. Meanwhile, the confession that the auto industry has found itself in a bad spot was hardly an admission of defeat, but rather bracing and refreshing honesty that cut through the cynical armor of those very same elites it had once sought to placate. Finally, like Charles de Gaulle’s 1940 message to his fellow Frenchmen, Chrysler reminded us that while the auto industry and its hometown may be beaten, neither is anywhere near broken.

Of course it can’t just end there for Chrysler. The company’s new parent, Fiat, has a lot of work ahead of it to repair the damage done by Daimler’s years of neglect and Cerberus Capital’s slash and burn management style. But the manufacturer that has traditionally been the industry’s weakest link made a smart move in taking up the mantle of the underdog, positioning both itself and its hometown for a resurgence. It’s up to Chrysler to actually make it happen, but if there’s one thing Americans of all stripes love, it’s a comeback.

PS: If you’re wondering who wrote Imported From Detroit, it was Logan Summers, husband of mommy blogger Melissa Summers. Follow this link for some added insight into the guy who, I think, came up with one of the all time great taglines.

Advertisement