Mopar might as well stand for Mo' Patriotism than any of its other translations. The Dodge, Chrysler, Jeep brands have weathered several storms over the past few decades, with dire financial straits returning to the conversation during the 2008 economic crash.
It felt like a recession of the rowdiest of the Big Three again, a familiar reminder of the malaise era with a company that's asking for another chance at life, and perhaps that struggle had humbled the advertisers over the years. But, once a year in mid February, automakers get a chance to speak to their consumers and reiterate their brand through a Super Bowl ad spot.
While GM have gone for jokes and gut-punches where they could, the Mopar brands have stayed rooted in odes to blue collars and the subtle humor unique to Americana -- fitting for a collective of brands that are unabashedly anachronistic in their image and attitude.
3 Best Mopar Super Bowl Commercials
Apple Pies and Farmer Ties
With a strong hold on solid front axle 4x4s with cast-iron inline-six turbo-diesel, the Ram brand of heavy-duty trucks remain a standard in agricultural use. The chassis are robust, their motors stout, and with two decades behind the partnership, Ram understands the loyalty to the combination is more than just a love for a machine.
In the context of radio broadcaster Paul Harvey's "So God Made a Farmer" speech, his voice cast in the long, grizzly draw of mid-century American colloquialism over the pains and struggles a farmer must accept as a part of the job. Without pushing trucks, Ram sold you a whole lotta trucks in their ode to the caretakers of our land.
Walking in Detroit's Shoes, 8 Miles at a Time
The aforementioned economic crash hurt the Mopar brands the most, with the historic automakers being sold to Cerberus Capital at the end of the fiasco with few promises that we'd even see the upcoming Dodge Challenger at the time.
More than a decade later, the brands are as healthy as ever, and we've been blessed by Oprah levels of Hellcat generosity ("...And you get a Hellcat motor, and YOU get a Hellcat motor!"), but in recognizing this flip, Mopar instead focused on their hometown: the city of Detroit, Michigan.
The Chrysler brand reiterated its dedication to the Motor City with "Imported From Detroit," airing during Super Bowl XLV, which was the 2011 Super Bowl. Also known as "Born of Fire," the Chrysler Super Bowl ad features Eminem's Lose Yourself and even ends with a powerful tagline from the rapper himself.
The ad addresses the issues, the struggle, and the resulting tenacity of a brand that has seen hard times before, and has always come back stronger. When K-cars replaced Chargers and Daytonas, we were rewarded for our loyalty with Vipers and the entire SRT performance brand, and now, Mopar was accepting and taking hold of its past trials and earned grit.
Perhaps the Chrysler 200 wasn't the best representation of this determination, the soft-lux sedan failed miserably in the end, but the sentiment, like in "So God Made a Farmer," hit their Detroit faithful where it mattered.
They Finally Had Their Day
Groundhog Day, the Bill Murray comedy film and the yearly bid to see if we're gonna keep freezing our rear axles off, are unique icons in Americana -- and with years of serious oaths, Jeep finally cracked a smile as the two arch rivals met in mutual respect to celebrate their golden years.
There's no inherent message of patriotism, no subtext to the times, just an honest laugh and a well-heeled poke at life, the industry, and the absurdity that is this American life.