Take tips, Dallas boosters. This is how it is done. (And not like this.) How do you adjust it thematically for Dallas? Contact Dorrough.
27 comments
Are you kidding? I thought that commercial was pathetic, sad, and desperate. Only the Groupon commercial mocking the occupation of Tibet was worse.
@ 8:48 am on February 7, 2011
It was the best commercial of evening.
@ 8:51 am on February 7, 2011
Residents must drive to the Detroit suburbs to get fast food. There isn’t even one chain grocery store left in the city limits. South Dallas is the same way. Only one chain grocery store that I know of, a Minyards near Fair Park.
It’s up to America to bail Detroit out for their poor planning and stupidity. That commercial was paid for with American Taxpayer dollars.
Ed Wallace slammed the Chrysler 200 in one of his latest car reviews. Rolling pile of junk.
@ 8:52 am on February 7, 2011
It definitely caught our attention – it is the one we re-wound.
@ 9:07 am on February 7, 2011
@TB: They had me hook line and sinker with the shot of the steel fist.
@ 9:12 am on February 7, 2011
The Chrysler ad was documentarishly honest, bold and punchy. The Groupon ad went horribly wrong somewhere between the idea for it and a phone call… “Hey, Timothy Hutton! Are you free?… “I’m as free as Tibet!” (laughter)
@ 9:18 am on February 7, 2011
What auto company is not supported by taxpayer dollars? Whether it is foreign or domestic, nearly all auto companies receive some form of direct or indirect assistance from their home governments?
If you want to be a real free-market purist…don’t drive.
@ 9:20 am on February 7, 2011
good commercial, but having been to Detroit a few too many times…let’s just say you can make it look as inviting as you want on film but in the end it is still a sad cess pool.
@ 9:21 am on February 7, 2011
“Approximately six million Jews were killed in the Holocaust … but they went to their shallow mass graves knowing how to make a mean hot pastrami on rye! And thanks to Groupon, I’m getting a $15 smile-high sandwich at Katz’s deli in New York City for only $10!”
Nothing offensive about it, TB. A little tasteful, harmless ribbing. They’re making fun of the sanctimonious V.O. guys on documentaries — get it?! It’s a laffaminnit! Or half-minute, as the case may be.
@ 9:23 am on February 7, 2011
Nice ad…
BTW, @Bill— the topic is the quality of the ad, rather than the quality of the product. You understand that, right?
@ 9:28 am on February 7, 2011
Peter: The steel fist is a downtown monument to Joe Lewis. Bill: I’m not sure what fast food you have to drive to the suburbs to get, but the last time I was home, I ate in a White Castle along Woodward Avenue and later in a Coney Island on Grand River. I’m not defending the Big 3 automakers — they laid off my father during the PREVIOUS bailout — but I’ll second/third/fourth the vote: That thing was the best ad of the evening.
@ 9:36 am on February 7, 2011
Oh, almost forgot: The murals of autoplant workers are part of a majestic set by Diego Rivera — yet another one of his works that was labeled a Communist Manifesto in paint. But unlike the ones at Rockefeller Center that were smashed, you can still see these at the Detroit Institute of Arts.
@ 9:41 am on February 7, 2011
@Daniel: The ad guys at Crispin Porter + Bogusky called and want their copy back!
@ 9:44 am on February 7, 2011
Thanks Jerome, for pointing that out about the murals. I loved those. I thought it was a powerful bold commercial.
Sadly, my only visit to Detroit was during the black out several years back. I was stuck in a Marriott for 2 days, eating trail mix. I now travel with a flashlight without fail.
@ 10:08 am on February 7, 2011
“One: Chrysler didn’t go through the hottest fires. Unless, of course, “hottest fires” means “skipping bankruptcy” and asking for a handout to protect union pensions, which it got. And when Fiat was able to take control of Chrysler, it was because of a heavily politicized deal facilitated by the president’s auto task force. It even got $6.6 billion in exit financing by Uncle Sam. Most failing businesses have trouble finding buyers. Not Chrysler.
“Two: Detroit may have been through a self-imposed over-taxed, over-regulated hell, but it certainly hasn’t come back. Budget numbers still show Detroit’s books in the red, despite Mayor Dave Bing’s best efforts to rein in spending. And Pew reveals that Detroit residents spend more for their municipal legislature than any other major city in the U.S. Heck, even its library is facing a dire fiscal crisis.”
The ad left out the part about his car being stolen from out in front of the theater.
@ 11:12 am on February 7, 2011
One: That part of the ad about ‘hottest fires’ didn’t specify Chrysler. In fact, at that point, no Chrysler logo had appeared. It was clearly talking about Detroit in general.
Two: The automakers’ troubles have less to do with with being ‘over-taxed’ and ‘over-regulated’ (meaning, I assume, those bad, bad EPA regulations that have removed a lot of lead from the air you’re breathing) and everything to do with a sclerotic industry that bet the bank on SUVs in the ’80s and ’90s and that, until relatively recently, fought off all attempts to move toward hybrid and electric vehicles. Collectively, the American automakers resisted overwhelming competitive changes — until they faced bankruptcy. We can argue about the wisdom of bailing out Chrysler, but I suspect the company didn’t go begging because the car you drive now has mandated airbags.
As for the Detroit public library facing a fiscal crisis: Dallas’ school system is facing a possible $260 million in cuts — a figure that puts the Detroit library’s $17 million shortfall way in the shade. Yet Dallas (and Texas in general) have often been extolled as the remedy for all things that ail the Rust Belt.
@ 12:38 pm on February 7, 2011
“The automakers’ troubles have less to do with with being ‘over-taxed’ and ‘over-regulated’ (meaning, I assume, those bad, bad EPA regulations that have removed a lot of lead from the air you’re breathing)”
You assume wrongly.
Read this again: “Detroit may have been through a **self-imposed** over-taxed, over-regulated hell, but it…”
The city of Detroit doesn’t control the EPA.
@ 12:50 pm on February 7, 2011
@Jerome Weeks
Funny how Trey takes issue with Chrysler, but not with the NFL.
Never mind the fact, local taxpayers have been needlessly bailing out the NFL with stadiums.
At least Chrysler, directly and indirectly, employs thousands as opposed to the NFL.
@ 12:54 pm on February 7, 2011
Enrique, I’ve written in the past about how the whole NFL stadium system is a ripoff for the taxpayers.
Not sure why you’d think I’d support that kind of unholy Big Business, Big Govt alliance.
@ 1:00 pm on February 7, 2011
Look, it was a great commercial. It’s just too bad it highlighted the crappy Chrysler 200 … basically, a slightly redesigned and renamed Sebring. They should’ve either highlighted the company’s entire new lineup (Grand Cherokee, Avenger, Challenger, Durango, 200, etc., which are already here) or focused on their range topping 300C (coming in a few months).
@ 2:28 pm on February 7, 2011
@Jerome – I don’t think that comparing DISD to the Detroit Public Library is exactly apples to apples. Try comparing the Detroit school district to DISD. Detroit is expecting the Federal Government to pump in even more money to keep their schools open. I don’t have anything against Detroit but lets not try to make ………. look like ……..
@ 3:25 pm on February 7, 2011
The American Taxpayer paid 9 million dollars for that commercial. A commercial for a city in complete ruin. There is a series of coffee table books available at Borders that features a ruined city in each book. There is a book on Stalingrad, Sarajvo, Leningrad, Moscow, Berlin, Detroit. The difference between all those towns and Detroit is that war ruined those cities. Detroit was ruined by its own citizens. Wholly destroyed. How can any of you celebrate that.
@ 3:34 pm on February 7, 2011
Detroit was not ruined by its own citizens — not unless you’re counting the car company management as citizens, the ones who exported most of the blue-collar jobs that permitted thousands of workers a middle-class life. When those jobs left, so did the middle class. What’s rather blind about the sweeping dismissals of Detroit is the idea that somehow the city chose this fate — and that Dallas is entirely immune from the same economic-political-racial forces. That, by the way, is why I compared DISD to the Detroit library. Yes, they’re not of the same size or rank, but the money figures do highlight that this city, too, can have its infrastructure and services fall apart.
Finally, taxpayers helped pay $9 mill for that commercial. I’m not justifying the bailout. But $9 million is a one-shot pittance to what we pay every year in tax-break subsidies to energy companies — the energy companies that’ve kept Dallas’ economy afloat. http://tinyurl.com/33pjle7
@ 5:30 pm on February 7, 2011
@Jerome – I will be the first to admit that the Internal Revenue Code breeds corruption in and out of government. I will also be the first to admit that Unions breed corruption in and out of government. The middle class life that you talk about became lifetime medical coverage and extremely high wages and thus pensions for the job being performed. As the prices rose, the quality sank. Long before the Fed/union takeover of GM I quit buying their cars because of poor quality – on a large expenditure like a car, it is difficult to take a chance again. I know I am not alone.
@ 6:55 pm on February 7, 2011
Way to stay on-topic, FrontBurner nation! What is this, the comment section of the DMN?
@ 11:59 pm on February 7, 2011
Give the Dallas city gov. enough time and Dallas will look like Detroit. Bloated and obese government destroying a city until it looks like Bosnia. PS: A STUPID COMMERCIAL with A STUPID TALENTLESS MUSICIAN.
Word, HA!
@ 9:15 pm on February 8, 2011
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FrontBurner® launched in March 2003, the first blog in Dallas run by a media organization. This is where the editors of D Magazine come to waste a tremendous amount of time.
27 comments
Are you kidding? I thought that commercial was pathetic, sad, and desperate. Only the Groupon commercial mocking the occupation of Tibet was worse.
It was the best commercial of evening.
Residents must drive to the Detroit suburbs to get fast food. There isn’t even one chain grocery store left in the city limits. South Dallas is the same way. Only one chain grocery store that I know of, a Minyards near Fair Park.
It’s up to America to bail Detroit out for their poor planning and stupidity. That commercial was paid for with American Taxpayer dollars.
Ed Wallace slammed the Chrysler 200 in one of his latest car reviews. Rolling pile of junk.
It definitely caught our attention – it is the one we re-wound.
@TB: They had me hook line and sinker with the shot of the steel fist.
The Chrysler ad was documentarishly honest, bold and punchy. The Groupon ad went horribly wrong somewhere between the idea for it and a phone call… “Hey, Timothy Hutton! Are you free?… “I’m as free as Tibet!” (laughter)
What auto company is not supported by taxpayer dollars? Whether it is foreign or domestic, nearly all auto companies receive some form of direct or indirect assistance from their home governments?
If you want to be a real free-market purist…don’t drive.
good commercial, but having been to Detroit a few too many times…let’s just say you can make it look as inviting as you want on film but in the end it is still a sad cess pool.
“Approximately six million Jews were killed in the Holocaust … but they went to their shallow mass graves knowing how to make a mean hot pastrami on rye! And thanks to Groupon, I’m getting a $15 smile-high sandwich at Katz’s deli in New York City for only $10!”
Nothing offensive about it, TB. A little tasteful, harmless ribbing. They’re making fun of the sanctimonious V.O. guys on documentaries — get it?! It’s a laffaminnit! Or half-minute, as the case may be.
Nice ad…
BTW, @Bill— the topic is the quality of the ad, rather than the quality of the product. You understand that, right?
Peter: The steel fist is a downtown monument to Joe Lewis. Bill: I’m not sure what fast food you have to drive to the suburbs to get, but the last time I was home, I ate in a White Castle along Woodward Avenue and later in a Coney Island on Grand River. I’m not defending the Big 3 automakers — they laid off my father during the PREVIOUS bailout — but I’ll second/third/fourth the vote: That thing was the best ad of the evening.
Oh, almost forgot: The murals of autoplant workers are part of a majestic set by Diego Rivera — yet another one of his works that was labeled a Communist Manifesto in paint. But unlike the ones at Rockefeller Center that were smashed, you can still see these at the Detroit Institute of Arts.
@Daniel: The ad guys at Crispin Porter + Bogusky called and want their copy back!
Thanks Jerome, for pointing that out about the murals. I loved those. I thought it was a powerful bold commercial.
Sadly, my only visit to Detroit was during the black out several years back. I was stuck in a Marriott for 2 days, eating trail mix. I now travel with a flashlight without fail.
“One: Chrysler didn’t go through the hottest fires. Unless, of course, “hottest fires” means “skipping bankruptcy” and asking for a handout to protect union pensions, which it got. And when Fiat was able to take control of Chrysler, it was because of a heavily politicized deal facilitated by the president’s auto task force. It even got $6.6 billion in exit financing by Uncle Sam. Most failing businesses have trouble finding buyers. Not Chrysler.
“Two: Detroit may have been through a self-imposed over-taxed, over-regulated hell, but it certainly hasn’t come back. Budget numbers still show Detroit’s books in the red, despite Mayor Dave Bing’s best efforts to rein in spending. And Pew reveals that Detroit residents spend more for their municipal legislature than any other major city in the U.S. Heck, even its library is facing a dire fiscal crisis.”
http://bit.ly/hwKP6g
The ad left out the part about his car being stolen from out in front of the theater.
One: That part of the ad about ‘hottest fires’ didn’t specify Chrysler. In fact, at that point, no Chrysler logo had appeared. It was clearly talking about Detroit in general.
Two: The automakers’ troubles have less to do with with being ‘over-taxed’ and ‘over-regulated’ (meaning, I assume, those bad, bad EPA regulations that have removed a lot of lead from the air you’re breathing) and everything to do with a sclerotic industry that bet the bank on SUVs in the ’80s and ’90s and that, until relatively recently, fought off all attempts to move toward hybrid and electric vehicles. Collectively, the American automakers resisted overwhelming competitive changes — until they faced bankruptcy. We can argue about the wisdom of bailing out Chrysler, but I suspect the company didn’t go begging because the car you drive now has mandated airbags.
As for the Detroit public library facing a fiscal crisis: Dallas’ school system is facing a possible $260 million in cuts — a figure that puts the Detroit library’s $17 million shortfall way in the shade. Yet Dallas (and Texas in general) have often been extolled as the remedy for all things that ail the Rust Belt.
“The automakers’ troubles have less to do with with being ‘over-taxed’ and ‘over-regulated’ (meaning, I assume, those bad, bad EPA regulations that have removed a lot of lead from the air you’re breathing)”
You assume wrongly.
Read this again: “Detroit may have been through a **self-imposed** over-taxed, over-regulated hell, but it…”
The city of Detroit doesn’t control the EPA.
@Jerome Weeks
Funny how Trey takes issue with Chrysler, but not with the NFL.
Never mind the fact, local taxpayers have been needlessly bailing out the NFL with stadiums.
At least Chrysler, directly and indirectly, employs thousands as opposed to the NFL.
Enrique, I’ve written in the past about how the whole NFL stadium system is a ripoff for the taxpayers.
Not sure why you’d think I’d support that kind of unholy Big Business, Big Govt alliance.
Look, it was a great commercial. It’s just too bad it highlighted the crappy Chrysler 200 … basically, a slightly redesigned and renamed Sebring. They should’ve either highlighted the company’s entire new lineup (Grand Cherokee, Avenger, Challenger, Durango, 200, etc., which are already here) or focused on their range topping 300C (coming in a few months).
@Jerome – I don’t think that comparing DISD to the Detroit Public Library is exactly apples to apples. Try comparing the Detroit school district to DISD. Detroit is expecting the Federal Government to pump in even more money to keep their schools open. I don’t have anything against Detroit but lets not try to make ………. look like ……..
The American Taxpayer paid 9 million dollars for that commercial. A commercial for a city in complete ruin. There is a series of coffee table books available at Borders that features a ruined city in each book. There is a book on Stalingrad, Sarajvo, Leningrad, Moscow, Berlin, Detroit. The difference between all those towns and Detroit is that war ruined those cities. Detroit was ruined by its own citizens. Wholly destroyed. How can any of you celebrate that.
Detroit was not ruined by its own citizens — not unless you’re counting the car company management as citizens, the ones who exported most of the blue-collar jobs that permitted thousands of workers a middle-class life. When those jobs left, so did the middle class. What’s rather blind about the sweeping dismissals of Detroit is the idea that somehow the city chose this fate — and that Dallas is entirely immune from the same economic-political-racial forces. That, by the way, is why I compared DISD to the Detroit library. Yes, they’re not of the same size or rank, but the money figures do highlight that this city, too, can have its infrastructure and services fall apart.
Finally, taxpayers helped pay $9 mill for that commercial. I’m not justifying the bailout. But $9 million is a one-shot pittance to what we pay every year in tax-break subsidies to energy companies — the energy companies that’ve kept Dallas’ economy afloat. http://tinyurl.com/33pjle7
@Jerome – I will be the first to admit that the Internal Revenue Code breeds corruption in and out of government. I will also be the first to admit that Unions breed corruption in and out of government. The middle class life that you talk about became lifetime medical coverage and extremely high wages and thus pensions for the job being performed. As the prices rose, the quality sank. Long before the Fed/union takeover of GM I quit buying their cars because of poor quality – on a large expenditure like a car, it is difficult to take a chance again. I know I am not alone.
Way to stay on-topic, FrontBurner nation! What is this, the comment section of the DMN?
Give the Dallas city gov. enough time and Dallas will look like Detroit. Bloated and obese government destroying a city until it looks like Bosnia. PS: A STUPID COMMERCIAL with A STUPID TALENTLESS MUSICIAN.
Word, HA!