The Halftime in America television ad featuring Clint
Eastwood that ran during the Super Bowl struck a chord with American viewers,
quickly becoming among the most popular commercials from the NFL’s big
game.Now, the Chrysler Group has
released the next stage of that campaign titled the Second Half in America –
showing Chrysler vehicles being enjoyed by Americans who have recovered from
tough times similar to those felt by the Chrysler Group brands.
Second Half in America is a set of four, 1-minute commercials;
each of which focuses on one of the four Chrysler Group brands excluding
Fiat.Each of these commercials tells
the tale of an American who has overcome some sort of personal adversity
ranging from a dad returning home from serving overseas in the armed forces to
spend time in his Challenger R/T with his son to a guy named Tommy who used his
Ram Heavy Duty to help make ends meet during tough financial times with a
voiceover done by Tommy’s appreciative wife. The other two commercials feature a dad showing his pride in his
Chrysler 300-driving son and a young girl who is enjoying a ride in the new
Jeep Liberty while facing the hardships of moving to a new area.
These commercials are intended less to feature the vehicle,
instead focusing on the strength of the individuals featured in these
commercials; comparing the problems of these individuals and how they have
worked to overcome them to the problems faced by the Chrysler Group’s problems
over the past four years and what has been a long, hard road for the country as
a whole.
These commercials will make their debut during some high
profile events this weekend including the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament, NHL
game broadcasts, the weekend’s NASCAR events, the American Country Music
Awards, and a variety of other primetime programs including the hit show Mad
Men.
"Before I was old enough to walk, my dad was taking me to various types of racing events, from local drag racing to the Daytona 500," says Patrick Rall, a lifetime automotive expert, diehard Dodge fan, and respected auto journalist for over 10 years. "He owned a repair shop and had a variety of performance cars when I was young, but by the time I was 16, he was ready to build me my first drag car – a 1983 Dodge Mirada that ran low 12s. I spent 10 years traveling around the country, racing with my dad by my side. While we live in different areas of the country, my dad still drag races at 80 years old in the car that he built when I was 16 while I race other vehicles, including my 2017 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat and my 1972 Dodge Demon 340.
"Although I went to college for accounting, my time in my dad’s shop growing up allowed me the knowledge to spend time working as a mechanic before getting my accounting degree, at which point I worked in the office of a dealership group. While I was working in the accounting world, I continued racing and taking pictures of cars at the track. Over time, I began showing off those pictures online and that led to my writing.
"Ten years ago, I left the accounting world to become a full-time automotive writer and I am living proof that if you love what you do, you will never “work” a day in your life," adds Rall, who has clocked in time as an auto mechanic, longtime drag racer and now automotive journalist who contributes to nearly a dozen popular auto websites dedicated to fellow enthusiasts.
"I love covering the automotive industry and everything involved with the job. I was fortunate to turn my love of the automotive world into a hobby that led to an exciting career, with my past of working as a mechanic and as an accountant in the automotive world provides me with a unique perspective of the industry.
"My experience drag racing for more than 20 years coupled with a newfound interest in road racing over the past decade allows me to push performance cars to their limit, while my role as a horse stable manager gives me vast experience towing and hauling with all of the newest trucks on the market today.
The Halftime in America television ad featuring Clint