by
Here's a Mercedes-Benz gift to Detroit -- a puzzling new slogan that's a bit like Rome's three-word nickname, only longer and less catchy.
While Italy's capital is known as the Eternal City, the auto industry's capital now gets dubbed "the city that is stronger than time." The German car maker introduces that phrase this week in ads and North American International Auto Show displays promoting its 2019 G-Class SUV.
We want to embrace "stronger than time," though it's like a song lyric that sounds cool until you ask: What does it mean?
"Stronger" is a solid, clear start -- a word that fits a rugged vehicle or a rugged city. But "stronger than time" doesn't land with the force of "Like a Rock," the 1986 Bob Seger classic that Chevy began using in 1991. ("The ultimate Sunday afternoon football commercial," Rolling Stone calls it.)
And if you overthink it (don't judge, please), how can a city be "stronger than time?"
Ah, never mind that stuffy approach. Only a crusty spoilsport would get literal about language intended to be lyrical. It's fairer to dissect the new catchphrase by considering how a second-generation sports utility vehicle and comeback city are alike -- the marketing message Mercedes drives at.
Detroit (born 1701) and Mercedes (trademarked 1901) have time-tested strength. A Mercedes release describes its SUV as iconic and indestructible -- tags that fit Detroit too.
In a nod to local history, the latest G-Wagen got a splashy introduction at the once-ornate Michigan Theater Building, a 1925 downtown landmark on Bagley between Grand River Avenue and Clifford Street that's now a stylish garage. The G550 model "is the definition of retro-cool," writes Andrew Ganz at Motor Authority. "After 40 years, the G-Class enters its second full generation with a thorough redesign."
A scene from the new video below.
Detroit also has been called retro-cool as the post-industrial Midwestern survivor attracts new generations of residents and workers. There's no thorough redesign, but the downtown core has a fresh look that keeps getting flashier.
The city and the Daimler division each adapt to challenges by rolling ahead nimbly, rather than letting weakness drag them behind the times. The auto show's resilient host city is recovering nicely from the largest U.S. municipal bankruptcy, a crisis that ended just over three years ago.
We're still unsure why Detroit is dubbed "the city that is stronger than time," but we're glad Mercedes-Benz makes us think about it.
♦ What do you think the new slogan means? Fitting tribute or trying too hard?
Post a comment below, on our Facebook page or on Twitter.
