In the commercial, Suh drives a Chrysler through Portland passing young men sitting on curbs in middle and lower class neighborhoods. The woman he hugs is probably his mother and the house is pure eastside Portland. I doubt the commercial agency even thought about the "social conscience" aspect of this hometown-boy-makes-it commercial. Still, I see it as an example of how these kinds of images can change our perceptions about people and the neighborhoods where they live.
Suh’s parents are immigrants, his mother from Jamaica and his father from Cameroon. The mother is a graduate of Southern Oregon University and his father attended a trade school in Portland. They met right here in Portland and were married in 1982.
When a 6’4” pro linebacker's father is 5'8" tall, you might wonder where the very big, tall son came from. It seems that Suh’s grandfather back in Cameroon was 7’2”. The family name means “House of Spears” in Suh’s father’s native language. How cool is that?
The spinoff from commercials like those funded by ATT and Chrysler is a benefit to anyone or anything shown or mentioned. In the Chrysler commercial the iconic Made in Oregon billboard that stands on the Willamette River’s waterfront brings Portland to life. If you come visit us here, you will see this billboard along with other landmarks shown in the commercial. The AT&T commercial gave the consumer with a social conscience something to think about. Tom's shoes recently sold their millionth pair of shoes. The endorsement from AT&T was just the boost that it needed.
So, are you paying attention or are you just muting those TV commercials? I know I mute them most of the time. But, occasionally, advertisers are so creative they catch my eye. In both of these cases it was in a good way.
Article comments
1 - mike mycoskie
Thanks for the mention of TOMS in your blog. Yes, the ATT ad was a driving force in moving the company to a profitable position which has now allowed the launch of a new one-for-one giving vision back to people in under-developed countries. Hopefully, there will be more to follow. ATT continues to be a great partner with TOMS on many fronts. They sponsored a "shoe drop" in September during which the 1 millionth pair of shoes was given. ATT execs traveled with TOMS to Argentina for that milestone event.
2 - Tommy Mack
Apologies for being tardy in commenting how much I liked your article. As a former resident of Puddletown, it touched a nerve in a very good way as did your perspective. Write more.
Tommy
3 - RetireInStyleBlog
I am just hanging onto my hat...thank you Brent Mycoskie for your comment. I am a fan and a supporter. I loved the ATT connection.
I also noticed in the news today that Wieden +Kennedy of Portland, the creators of the Chrysler ad, has received awards at the Cannes International Festival of Creativity. How cool is that!
"Chrysler Brand’s 2011 Super Bowl Commercial "Born of Fire" Takes Home Five Awards at the Cannes Lions 58th International Festival of Creativity" Wieden+Kennedy of Portland, Ore