“Is there anything more American than America?” It sounds like a quote straight out of Ron Burgundy’s mouth but, surprisingly, the question came from none other than American folk artist Bob Dylan, who starred in a Chrysler commercial last night during the Super Bowl. Narrated by Dylan, the ad gives us a down-home look at America, talking up Chrysler’s Michigan-made vehicles while championing “the heart and soul of every man and woman working on the line.” It’ll remind you of both Eminem’s “Imported from Detroit” ad from the 2011 Super Bowl, as well as the cheesy, romanticized “Go Forth” spots that Levi’s was pushing a few years ago. All in all, it wasn’t a bad commercial for Dylan, but for someone who has long been synonymous with American counterculture and activism, it was perhaps a little unexpected.
And Dylan didn’t stop there, either. “I Want You,” from the Minnesota-native’s 1966 album, Blonde on Blonde, was featured in an offbeat ad for Chobani yogurt. The commercial’s quirky nature made the spot a bit more palatable than Chrysler’s patriotic zest, so overall, not a bad night for Mr. Robert Allen Zimmerman.
