As emotional praise for the automaker's "Imported From Detroit" ad poured in from around the world, Francois wanted to brainstorm: Where else can we take with this thing?
Where they could take it was a higher plane, and what they conceived that day is at last going public: A stirring gospel version of Eminem's "Lose Yourself," performed by Selected of God choir, will be released Tuesday on iTunes and Amazon. Sale proceeds, including song royalties, will be funneled by Chrysler and Eminem's song publisher to three Detroit nonprofit groups.
The accompanying music video is a sequel of sorts to the Super Bowl ad, which featured Eminem in a Chrysler 200, arriving at the Fox Theatre to find the choir onstage.
Eminem is not featured in the new video, and Chrysler's presence is low-key. This time the stars are the two dozen choir members, affiliated with Praise Tabernacle in Grosse Pointe. With an array of Motor City landmarks, street scenes and local characters, the clip reprises the theme of Detroit strength and hope.
Among those portrayed are boxer Cornelius (K9) Bundrage, the Cass Tech marching band and the champion jump-rope troupe Jumping All Stars.
The video will premiere Tuesday on YouTube, alongside the original commercial and its 17 million views. Also debuting is the Imported From Detroit Project (IFDProject.com), a web collaboration with Ferndale's 8 Mile Style to promote Detroit events.
It's part of an important next phase for "Imported From Detroit," which is rolling out a new slogan: "Never Give Up. Always Give Back."
"It's celebrating the attitude which is the bloodline of Chrysler, Detroit and this choir," Francois said Monday.
"Imported From Detroit," conceived by the French-born Francois, is evolving from Super Bowl smash to long-term Detroit cause.
"It started as more than a campaign — a vision of being part of the comeback story of Detroit, together with Chrysler's comeback story," he said. "From the start, there was the idea of doing something generous for Detroit. It became a kind of movement."
Organizations that stand to benefit are the Abayomi Community Development Corporation, the Yunion mentoring service and Robert Shumake Foundation.
They join four other groups, including the Marshall Mathers Foundation, that already receive proceeds from sales of "Imported From Detroit" merchandise such as T-shirts and hats.
A Chrysler spokesman said Monday that total donation amounts are not yet available.
In an ironic twist, Audi will be donating an undisclosed sum to the groups as part of a legal settlement with Eminem's camp. The German automaker had been accused of copying the "Imported From Detroit" commercial and "Lose Yourself" in a recent promotional video.
The new "Imported From Detroit" initiative comes amid a management restructuring for Chrysler and parent company Fiat. Francois, who was president and CEO of Chrysler, is now head of the Fiat brand and chief creative officer for both companies, continuing to oversee the "Imported" campaign.
In contrast to the Super Bowl ad, which bowed in front of 111 million viewers, Chrysler is aiming for viral success with the new song and video, hoping to stir attention through Internet word-of-mouth.
"You may wonder why there aren't more cars in the video," said Francois. "It's kind of a marketing tool, but it's not a product marketing tool. It's about the spirit of a city and a brand more than about a product."
Francois knows that territory well: As head of the Lancia brand in Europe, he oversaw high-profile awareness campaigns for Tibet and jailed Nobel laureate Aun San Suu Kyi.
"I'm very sensitive to social causes," he said. "I've been consistently thinking there is a way to both promote our brand and cars while humbly helping the world get a little bit better."
Video director Anthony Garth, whose work has included Pure Michigan commercials and videos for acts such as the White Stripes, said "it's a good way of advertising without really advertising."
"It was one of those things where you heard the track and realized this was a whole different level," said Garth. "The message I tried to get across is that it's the people who make Detroit strong and make Chrysler strong — that no matter what happens to Detroit, the people here are still incredible."
Enlisted to produce the gospel single was 8 Mile Style, the Ferndale company that administers Eminem's song rights and will donate its share of royalties.
"This opens a new chapter for us, working with a company that has this kind of greater consciousness," said 8 Mile Style manager Joel Martin. "We haven't had a lot of people at that level approach us to work with charities."
The new single uses the instrumental track from the Super Bowl ad — itself a note-for-note remake of Eminem's original "Lose Yourself." Both were performed by Eminem co-writers Luis Resto and Jeff Bass.
"We thought, OK, we'll start from this musical phrase and expand it to a whole song," said Francois, a former music producer and critic. "It blends Eminem's iconic Detroit tune with what, to me, is another sound of Detroit, which is the gospel. It's a real Motown song — it's hip-hop meeting with gospel."
Resto recorded the choir in April at 54 Sound studio in Ferndale, where Bishop Andre Woods played an old church organ that once belonged to the Rev. C.L. Franklin, late father of Aretha Franklin.
Bass, who is donating his portion of the songwriting royalties, was blown away by the result.
"It really captures that spirit of Detroit, and it's such a good way of giving back," Bass said. "It's very inspiring. It continues to show the power that music can bring to a city."
Source
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