The hit single Lose Yourself is the most successful song from Eminem’s career to date. It’s gone platinum four times over and was the first rap single ever to win an Academy Award for Best Original Song. Countless ad agencies and companies have tried to license it for use in commercials, yet none received permission… that is, until Chrysler’s Super Bowl ad hit TV screens around the world. Hit the jump to see the ad.
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Eminem and Chrysler both call Detroit home, so getting a real local hero on board for a Chrysler ad is quite a big deal. Oliver Francois, Chief Marketing Officer for Chrysler, met with Eminem and Lose Yourself co-writer Joel Martin to discuss the idea of using the song in an ad.
Martin and Eminem had turned down countless offers and millions of dollars to lend their song out for advertising efforts. Francois, however, approached Slim Shady from an angle that hit home: Chrysler is trying to rise from the ashes, as is Detroit and even Eminem himself.
Around the time when Chrysler declared bankruptcy, Eminem released an album called Relapse that sold poorly. Chrysler cars weren’t selling, Detroit was an undesirable place to call home and Eminem had a weak album flopping on the charts. That was 2009, yet a couple of years later, Eminem finds himself nominated for 11 Grammy awards and Chrysler has a refreshed lineup hitting dealer showrooms.
Eminem decided to let Chrysler use Lose Yourself and also appeared in the Super Bowl spot, which garnered a lot of positive attention. Internet searches for the Chrysler 200 were way up shortly after the spot aired and the commercial is closing in on five million views on YouTube.
With a critical reception like that, it’s no surprise that TheDetroitBureau.com is reporting that Francois and Eminem’s posse are set to meet today in a closed-door session to discuss possible future collaborations, and the discussion is likely to center around a followup ad to the Super Bowl “Born of Fire” spot.