mike curtisIt seems the people at Chrysler have really taken “Rainy Day Women #12 & 35” to heart.

For me, Cheerios won the Super Bowl ad blitz with a touching, less-is-more ad about a growing family. The ad subtlely and brilliantly shows a great truth: that for many families, Cheerios have become more than a cereal–they are a children’s first window into counting and abstract thinking. Bravo!

The loser, hands-down, is Chrysler. Baby Boomers, rejoice! The one man you were sure would NEVER sell out is now pitching Americana (without irony) and cars for Chrysler (which, by the way, is a subsidiary of Fiat, headquartered in Turin, Italy).

I honestly can’t figure this out. I imagine Boomers would feel only outrage as they are told, in effect, that corporate America wins in the end, with Dylan the trophy to prove it. And for any other demographic, does Dylan even matter?

And that copy: “So let Germany brew your beer. Let Switzerland make your watch…” As Radio Shack might say, “The eighties called–they want their script back.”

Chrysler has done similar ads before, using Clint Eastwood and Eminem. Those ads worked. This ad don’t work–and it’s not ‘cuz the vandals took the handles. It’s ‘cuz there’s a profound disconnect between the spokesman and the message.