Katie Busalacchi Halftime in America The producers have set the scene perfectly.

The shadowy figure of Clint Eastwood lurks in the desolate hallway of a football stadium while the ominous roar of the crowd fades in the distance. Cue audio. Eastwoods rough and raspy murmur cuts through the lingering rumble of fanfare. Its halftime, grumbles Eastwood as the background noise cuts to complete silence. its halftime in America, too continues Eastwood as the low hum of an organ intensifies in the background. In just these few short frames, the advertising executives have already captured the undivided attention of their audience. The ad continues to do this, not explicitly revealing the product until the final frame of the ad. This approach allows Chrysler to connect to the audience in a unique way, without overwhelming them. The image of halftime is one that resonates with sports fan and non-sports fans alike. Anyone can appreciate the fight of the underdog: the inherent desire to win, the passion that has the potential to explode into a second half rally. Clint Eastwoods voice epitomizes this innate quality. It is ragged and tough, yet determined and subtly hopeful. His quiet confidence propels the audience into a positive mindset. Fewer than ten seconds into the two-minute Super Bowl ad, the commercial has already begun to tug at the heartstrings of the audience with a very effective pathetic appeal. The short introduction paves the way for a commercial that utilizes emotional appeals to connect with an audience, and ultimately sell some Chryslers. The producers of this commercial very effectively connect to the audience by implementing both audio and visual ploys. First and foremost, the ad presents the current condition of America exactly as it is: there is no attempt to sugarcoat anything. Eastwood uses words like hurting and scared while the camera pans images of people struggling to get out

of bed and ready for work. Above all, Eastwood speaks in the first tense. He does not refer to the audience as you, but rather as we, placing himself next to all of America in the trenches. At this point, Eastwood has not only connected to the audience, but he has also reminded them of just how bad the last few years have been. Jobs have been lost, houses have been foreclosed, and tenants have been evicted. With audience morale at an all time low, the commercial quickly switched gears: to images of Detroit. The people of Detroit know a little something about [suffering], Eastwood asserts. Here is where the importance of the image of halftime becomes clear. The next line of the commercial plays, we all pulled together, now Motor City is fighting again. The image of halftime polarizes these two extremes. The first half represents the struggle, but this is in the past. We have the present, or halftime, to gather ourselves and prepare for the second half, for the fight. The idea of polarization emerges in several forms throughout the ad. Eastwood talks of losing and winning and of being knocked down and getting back up. Presenting both images in tandem effectively connects to the audience. Eastwood (on behalf of Chrysler) is not pretending that everything is okay. He recognizes that the nation is struggling, but before he allows the audience to dwell on this fact, he inspires them to do something to change this. The second half of the commercial plays as a call to action, a rallying of the troops so to speak. As soon as the image of Detroit materializes, the tone of the commercial changes. The musical undertones suddenly becomes much more positive, amplifying every image and every positive assertion. The images of rundown factories and rugged faces turn into those of firefighters and fresh faced children excitedly running off to school. These images invoke hope, and remind the audience that even though things seem bad, they will get better.

The idea that no matter how bad things are, we collectively have the ability to make it better represents the American dream at its finest. So why is a car company spending millions of dollars on a commercial affirming the spirit of America? Well, as soon as the commercial succeeds in presenting the American dream, the connection is made. Just as the spirits of the audience rise, Eastwood reminds the audience that we have not made it out of the dark yet, but that Detroit is already on its way up. The timing of the commercial is crucial in making this point. The American auto-industry, based in Detroit, suffered as much, if not more, than anyone else during the tough economic times the country went through. Currently, the industry is clawing its way back into the global marketplace. Most importantly, it never gave up. The following assertion in the ad connects to the audience in a very powerful way. Eastwood says, Whats true about them (Detroit) is true about all of us. The commercial directly states that we as a nation are the same as Detroit, connecting very powerfully to the audience. If Detroit can trudge through the ruins and come out on top, so can everyone else. Detroit is like the captain of the team rallying his players to join in one last rally. All we need to do is lace up and join him on the field. Continuing the imagery of the Motor City, the ad focuses on the idea of an open road. Several short clips pass by of men and women driving, looking determinedly at the road ahead of them. In one of the final frames of the ad, the camera focuses directly on Eastwoods face. Full of wrinkles and a squinty determination, his face embodies all of America. He is worn and battle-scarred. In his face lies the character of every movie character he has played in his illustrious career: a tough boxing coach in Million Dollar Baby, the mysterious Man with No

Name in The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, and the brassy detective in Dirty Harry. His face exudes grit and resignation. Moreover, with several decades of work under his belt, Eastwood appeals to every generation. With his final line Our second half is about to begin, Eastwood inspires everyone watching to take action. The producers have the audience in the palm of their hand, but they have yet to even mention the product. The allusions to Detroit and the auto-industry have already planted the seed in the minds of the consumer, but in a stealthy, Inception-type manner. The commercial has succeeded in getting the audience on their side; we have joined their team so to speak. It is not until we are in this state that the ad reveals what exactly we are supposed to be buying: Chrysler products. Many critics do not think that waiting until the last second to reveal the product is effective. This is simply not true. At the very least, the commercial is different, and people remember things that are different. Beyond the commercials distinctiveness, it effectively connects a very strong idea, the American dream, with the product it wishes to sell. By spending so much of the ad instilling an idea into the audience rather than preaching about how amazing Chryslers are, the producers of the spot have captured the attention of the audience. The message is clear: the spirit of America is alive and well in Detroit, and all we need to do to share in their success is buy a Chrysler. An investment in Chrysler is an investment in Detroit. Since all of America is Detroit, we are really investing in ourselves. Ultimately, the ad uses a deeprooted ideology, the hardworking quality of the American, to convince the audience that they need to own a Chrysler.