made in toluca: 2 times when major ad campaigns wouldn’t admit it

have u ever heard anyone brag that their car was imported from toluca?  like toluca was an iconic global city and the vehicles that come from here are built with the same charisma that the city is famous for? probably not. maybe u weren’t aware of all the autos that toluca produces. or maybe you’ve never even heard of toluca, which kinda sucks in an ironic and underhanded (dishonest) way.  there were at least two great opportunities in the early 2010s for auto makers to let the world know the important role toluca plays in the industry.

chrysler imported from detroit
(chrysler.com)

let me explain…

during super bowls xlv (2011) and xlvi (2012), chrysler commercials featuring the imported from detroit slogan (motto, advertising phrase) made a big impact. in 2011, eminem was featured in this spot (ad) that embraced detroit’s grit (spirit, toughness) and determination, and in 2012, clint eastwood delivered a halftime pep talk (motivation speech) to the american public that sounded like a political speech.

j.lo with the fiat500 at the 2011 american music awards
j.lo dancing with a car that reminds her of the bronx but is imported from toluca (eonline.com)

additionally, in 2011 jennifer lopez appeared in fiat 500 commercials driving around in the bronx and talking about how the streets inspired her to be tough (strong, resilient) and stay sharp (alert, at her best).  she also simulated driving a fiat 500 during her performance that year at the american music awards.

during all of the glamorous publicity and rebranding (image changing) of cities with not so great reputations, toluca didn’t get one shout out (thanks, praise, recognition) even though the fiat 500 and various other popular chrysler models have been manufactured and imported from here for years.

dodge journey--vocabulario en inglés-toluca

 

that was the inspiration for this local pride (esteem, satisfaction) video on the richyrocks youtube channel.

some vocabulary for talking about toluca from the video…

**listen for the modal auxiliary verb must around :25…

there must be hundreds of cities competing for the name [city of the bouncing titty]

in other words, odds are (probably) there are other cities with more gentelmen’s clubs (places for drinking & watching naked ladies dance) than toluca. titty (plural titties) or tits are breasts, boobs.

must in this context is NOT an obligation, but the greatest probability. when used to create a hypothetical situation in the past, must ALWAYS indicates greatest probablity.

toluca chorizo
toluca is famous for sausage, specifically chorizo.

** does that land us on a superbowl commercial? at :44 is a rhetorical question (no answer is expected) and land is like put, get or cause to happen.

**in the phrase if it did, you’d already know our name at the end of the video, did is not past tense. it is used to express a hypothetical situation in the present or future. in reality toluca doesn’t get a shout out in commercials or at the american music awards.  but this structure, known as the 2nd conditional, imagines that toluca really does get this recognition (if it did) and also imagines a result (you‘d already know our name).

toluca skyline
have u heard of toluca la bella?

**finally, roll with it (:17) is an expression that means accept a situation or just do it.

this clip from the movie knocked up has another good example.

kathryn heigl is pregnant with seth rogen‘s baby and both receive parental advice. at 1:15 seth rogen’s dad (harold ramis) tells him

life doesn’t care about your vision, ok? stuff happens, u just gotta deal with it. u roll with it. that’s the beauty of it all.

stuff happens is a softer way of saying shit happens. they both mean we can’t predict what will happen in life.  gotta is a reduction of the have got structure means have to or must.  deal with means take the necessary action.

fun elt practice :) richyrocks english on youtube

should toluca be the subject of a big budget car marketing campaign? or at least get a shout out in a car commercial? share your views under leave a reply


 

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