Adweek Magazine ranked the top 10 commercials of the year, and Chrysler's Super Bowl commercial, titled "Halftime in America," landed at number seven. The two-minute ad, which features Clint Eastwood speaking as the voice of Detroit, addressed the American people and challenged them to find hope and inspiration in the economically challenged city.
While the commercial was the source of some debate, as some saw it as an endorsement of the auto bailouts, it was also praised for being one of the only ads that went beyond advertising to comment on a larger national conversation, The Detroit Free Press reports. The magazine also called it a worthy follow-up to the brand's Emmy-winning commercial from the year before.
The recognition comes a few weeks after Chrysler's chief marketing officer Olivier Francois won a Brand Genius Award from Adweek. Francois was one of the driving forces behind the automaker's successful "Imported from Detroit" campaign, which featured rapper Eminem in several television spots, as well as the "Halftime in America" advertisement, AutoBlog reports.
Thanks to his efforts, as well as the redesign of some Chrysler models and improved car repair and reliability statistics, the company has experience 30 consecutive months of sales growth.