DETROIT (AP) — One of the most talked-about Super Bowl ads showed hip-hop star Eminem driving a sleek Chrysler through the streets of Detroit, proudly cruising by the city’s landmarks and the hopeful faces of its people.
His journey ends with an unapologetic message: “This is the Motor City, and this is what we do.”
A day after it aired, the ad sent shivers of pride through the battered city, which hopes car buyers are willing to look past Chrysler’s billion-dollar bailout and embrace the idea that if a vehicle is “Imported from Detroit,” that’s reason enough to buy it.
The two-minute ad was unusual for its length, airing during a broadcast in which a 30-second spot costs $3 million. And it framed the gritty urban images with an attitude that embraced the city’s past and its survival instinct.
