It sounds like the start of a complex joke, but it was deadly serious for a post-bankruptcy Chrysler Group LLC trying to get Americans to buy its cars again.
As Chrysler brand CEO Saad Chehab tells it, the scenario began with Sergio Marchionne sitting at home and watching Detroit's Kid Rock perform his hit "Born Free" live during the American Music Awards in November 2010.
Marchionne, the CEO of Chrysler Group and his native Italy's Fiat S.p.A., called Chehab to suggest they somehow tap into Detroit's music pride for Chrysler's forthcoming advertising campaign.
"He happened to witness the audience reaction to that song," said Chehab, head of Chrysler marketing at the time and a Beirut native who grew up in Detroit. "That was really the moment this story started taking shape into execution. He said, "I want to tell the story of this city and this company to the country.' It literally was triggered that night."
The result was the automaker's "Imported from Detroit" advertising campaign that launched with a two-minute commercial called "Born of Fire," using rapper Eminem during Super Bowl XLV in February.
The spot, the longest to air during any Super Bowl, was seen by the largest TV audience in U.S. history. It used the edgy attitude of post-industrial Detroit as a point of pride to get viewers to consider the automaker's cars again.
Nation wise reaction was instant: Detroiters and industry observers hailed it, critics were impressed and views and excited conversation exploded on YouTube and social media.
The commercial transcended mere car selling, allowing the city and region to latch onto it as if to say, "Yeah, we're from Detroit.' "
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