Chrysler releases $9m Super Bowl ad while requesting more taxpayer dollars

[Deberg_1990]

http://washingtonexaminer.com/blogs/...xpayer-dollars




You may have noticed that Chrysler released the longest ad in Super Bowl history on Sunday night, featuring the new Chrysler 200 driven by Detroit native rap star Eminem, an ad that CEO Sergio Marchionne says cost less than $9 million. But given that the company's CEO also announced this past week that is seeking a "better deal" on government loans, it is likely that this ad had more to do with getting political support than selling cars. Besides, is spending millions on a Super Bowl ad appropriate for a company that received a taxpayer bailout to recover from a bankruptcy?

Maybe the ad wasn't an appeal to car buyers, but rather politicians. According to the Detroit News, Chrysler is seeking a better deal on its bailout:

"I am paying shyster rates," Marchionne said, noting that Chrysler had no choice in 2009 but to pay the high interest rates the government set as part of its $15 billion Chrysler bailout. "We had no choice… I am going to pay the shyster loans."

He called the loans "a thorn in my side."

Chrysler's also in talks with banks to refinance its debt and plans to have an "agreement in principle" by end of March, he said.

Marchionne spoke at an auto industry conference sponsored by JD Power at a hotel here ahead of the National Automobile Dealers Association three-day convention. He said he is hopeful that the company can win an agreement in principle for $3 billion in low-cost Energy Department retooling loan — a move that is necessary for Chrysler to win private financing, Marchionne said.

That's right: Chrysler took $15 billion from taxpayers, to which it wasn't entitled, and at an industry convention its CEO calls taxpayers a word that is defined as "someone who acts in a disreputable, unethical, or unscrupulous way, especially in the practice of law, politics and used car sales." Message received: "Taxpayers' money saved a car company from bankruptcy and all they got was this lousy Super Bowl commercial."

And what a commercial. Chrysler turns to America to say that because Detroit has been "through hell and back" it has endured the "hottest fires which makes the hardest steel," and that the reason people don't know that is because newspaper reporters "don't know what [people in Detroit] are capable of."

A few things about that.

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.

Three: We know what Detroit is capable of because we saw it in the 1960s. We still see potential, too -- Michigan economist David Littman told The Examiner last year that there was plenty of reason to be optimistic:

"We're not even on the map," Littman notes. But the opportunity is there. "We have bargain basement prices on everything -- from water properties, which are a hallmark of growth, to infrastructure. And this is tied together with a large and progressive highway system. We also have the largest underground gas reserves in the nation."

Chrysler must have found the investment worthwhile, using the opportunity of the new Chrysler model to plug Detroit's tough "know-how." Fox was charging approximately $2.8 to $3 million per 30-second slot.

This ad doesn't reveal how tough and competent Detroit is. It shows how the federal government picks winners and losers. Guess which part the taxpayers play?

[Bob Dole]

Originally Posted by the Talking Can

Halliburton steals more than that from the government in an hour...there are unaccounted billions after billions in railroaded government contracts


and people complain about 9mill spent by a company trying to actually compete for american jobs?

Ahhh, the ever-popular "this bad isn't as bad as some other bad, so it's not really bad at all" logic.

And we wonder why this country is going to shit...

[Hoover]

Great ad.

Shocked that Obama wasn't in it.

[jAZ]

Originally Posted by Pitt Gorilla

It was a good commercial.

Money well spent.

[Skyy God]

31K posts, and you can't tell a political article from a conservative newspaper is DC material? Come on, man.

As to the writer's "point', if the ad's a success and people buy more Chryslers, the taxpayers get paid back faster. That's how good advertising works.

[Deberg_1990]

Originally Posted by Pittsie

31K posts, and you can't tell a political article from a conservative newspaper is DC material?

Come on, man.

eh, i went back and forth on it and decided on this forum......for the most part, people have remained non political on it.

[the Talking Can]

Originally Posted by Bob Dole

Ahhh, the ever-popular "this bad isn't as bad as some other bad, so it's not really bad at all" logic.

And we wonder why this country is going to shit...

they're not the same at all...and that commercial has absolutely nothing to do with "why this country is going to shit"....in fact, it's evidence of some positive efforts to do something for actual ****ing workers in this actual ****ing country...


it was a great ad, and $$ well spent

[Coach]

I'm sure it's a great ad, but it's not going to convince me to buy a Chrysler.

[ModSocks]

I enjoyed the Chrysler ad. It stuck out in a lot of people's minds. I never would've known what a Chrysler 200 was w/o it.

Another good one, for me at least, and actually has me considering buying this car, is the Hyundai Elantra.

[chasedude]

Originally Posted by jbwm89

Eminem is not from Detroit anyways...

I was wondering if someone from St. Joe would post this...

[gblowfish]

The last two Jeeps I've bought were built in the Jefferson Street plant in downtown Detroit. You can't get anymore "Motown" than driving a Jeep!

[googlegoogle]

Chrysler goes bankrupt every 20 years.

[Valiant]

Originally Posted by tk13

I thought it worked out well. It was a very good ad, and it turned out to be the most watched television event in history.

Wut? American event?

[Dave Lane]

Originally Posted by googlegoogle

Chrysler goes bankrupt every 20 years.

And you're mentally bankrupt everyday. Do you have a point?

[Discuss Thrower]

Originally Posted by swayy07

how many people do you think saw their 9 million dollar ad during the super bowl and thought why are they advertising when they just got bailed out with OUR money. im not saying they shouldnt advertise at all but the SB ad was just a bad idea IMO

I did as soon as I saw the Cruze ad with the old folks. Thought the GM ads were in bad taste considering how expensive the whole thing is.

[ChiefsCountry]

Well the ad its job its two days after the game and people are still talking about it.
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