One Of The Top Super Bowl Ads In History Was All Love for Detroit

The Super Bowl is just around the corner, and Lions fans are hoping this is the year that Detroit is part of the biggest game in sports. It also means some of the best commercials of the year are heading our way.

Let's face it, a lot of us tune in just to see these innovative ads each year. From quirky, to pulling at the heartstrings, companies hope these ads not only bring in business but are remembered long after the Lombardi Trophy is handed out.

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No doubt running an ad during the biggest game of the year is going to cost you. It's prime real estate for advertisers and prices have skyrocketed since the very first Super Bowl game back in 1967. To put it in perspective, a 30-second ad in 1967 during the game ran around $37,500. In 2024 for Super Bowl LVIII, the same commercial will cost advertisers a whopping $7 million according to the Hollywood Reporter. Just for comparison, ads that run during the regular NFL season during Sunday Night Football carry a price tag of $882,079, according to Sports Business Journal.

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With big money on the line, marketing execs and ad companies need to bring their "A" game. Over the past few years, there have been some pretty memorable ads and one of the best was all Detroit thanks to the Lions' biggest fan & supporter, Eminem. Em has been front and center this year cheering on his team and posting inspirational hype videos that fans just can't get enough of, but it was his Super Bowl commercial years back that really showed his love for Detroit while making advertising history.

It was 2011 when Chrysler decided to let the world know Detroit was alive, well, and stronger than ever. "Born of Fire", also known as "Imported from Detroit", was the commercial that introduced the world to the Chrysler 200. The commercial featured Detroit's own Eminem and ran for the first time during Super Bowl XLV. At two minutes long, it's one of the longest commercials ever shown during such an event.

It was just one of those ads that made you proud, as a Michigander, of where you lived. Ad experts consider it "one of the most chilling, emotionally evocative commercials to ever run across America’s TV screens".

"Anyone who lived in the area when this came out can tell you, without a doubt, how uplifting the commercial was. Nobody expected it. Nobody knew it was coming. It just showed up on TV when the area and people were going through an incredibly trying time. Chrysler showed the rest of the world that while we were being beaten down and hurting, we would NEVER give up without a fight. Beautiful homes selling for $30,000 (not a typo) because people couldn't afford to keep them, luxury cars being sold for dirt cheap, etc. You couldn't even get a job at fast food because they weren't hiring. Things were bad, real bad! But, the spirit of the people persevered", commented Deetroiter.

Today the spot is considered one of the best automotive Super Bowl ads of all time. The ad was created by the agency Wieden + Kennedy and has been given credit for helping with revitalizing the image of Detroit, Chrysler, and the auto industry itself. Could we see a new ad featuring Slim Shady this year? Time will tell.

Look back at the ad that reminded the world exactly who Detroit is.