Dodge Unveils Marketing, Advertising Campaign for 2004 Durango

http://www.autofan.com/newsdetail.asp?id=730&mn=10&yr=2003

Dodge Unveils Marketing, Advertising Campaign for All- New 2004
Durango
10/22/03 7:22:34 PM

--Creative Focuses on the Vehicle's Duality: Refinement and Capability
--Tagline Reinforces Product Attributes: "Big size. Smooth Ride. HEMI
power."

Auburn Hills, Mich., Oct 22, 2003 -When shopping for a new vehicle,
men and women are often at odds about what features are most
important. The all-new 2004 Dodge Durango bridges that gap by bringing
those attributes together in a package that is the perfect combination
of capability and refinement, a theme that is the foundation of a new
advertising campaign unveiled today.

Throughout the integrated television, print, direct mail and web
campaign, Dodge focuses on the features that make the Durango stand
out in a growing market segment by positioning it as a vehicle that
allows the optimum combination of utility, size and comfort with the
power and performance of the legendary HEMI engine.

At approximately seven inches longer, three inches taller and three
inches wider than the previous Durango, the 2004 Dodge Durango has the
space and power of a large SUV with the drivability and price of a
full-size SUV, said Julie Roehm, Director, Dodge Marketing
Communications. The marketing and advertising campaign highlights the
Durango's unique position in the marketplace.

Television advertising will launch on October 26 on CBS's broadcast of
NFL football with a 30-second tease spot called 'Debate.'

In Debate, the viewer is first introduced to Joe and Liz, characters
appearing throughout the campaign, who are debating the comfort and
capability attributes of the new Durango. They each pointedly state
that they've done their research and throw down catalogs for the new
Durango. The debate is settled when Joe and Liz realize that they have
been describing the exact same vehicle. Debate sets the foundation for
the entire campaign that the all-new Dodge Durango offers all the
refinement one would expect in an SUV with the unmatched capability of
a HEMI engine, all in a perfect size.

On November 15, the new Durango will take to the airwaves in three
general market spots, 'Indoctrination,' 'Meat & Flowers,' and 'Perfect
Day,' plus one Hispanic and one urban spot, 'Necklace' and 'Poster,'
respectively. All will be heavily rotated through sports, primetime
and late night programming on both broadcast and cable networks.

The tease, introductory and general market spots were all created by
BBDO Detroit, the Chrysler Group's lead agency. The Hispanic and urban
spots were created by the Chrysler Group's multicultural agency,
GlobalHue.

'Indoctrination,' the introductory spot, shows Joe and Liz discussing
which vehicle attribute is more important comfort or capability as
they pull away from a Dodge dealership in their new Durango with their
toddler son in the backseat. Liz begins pointing out all of the
comfort features of the new Durango to baby Joey. Joe catches on to
the silly talk of comfort and, after pulling into the driveway,
immediately grabs Joey, pops the hood, stating, Son, there's the only
thing you need to know, pointing to the HEMI engine.

In 'Meat & Flowers,' Liz is talking with her friends about how she
convinced Joe to think of the family and the need for comfort and
convenience when deciding on their new vehicle. At the same time, Joe
is having a similar conversation while barbequing, but tells his
friends that he insisted on having a 'man's' vehicle. Joe claims that
Liz finally saw it his way, but in reality they are both talking about
the Durango, a vehicle that meets both of their needs. This spot
continues the male capability-female refinement banter to drive home
the duality message for the all-new Durango.

In 'Perfect Day,' Joe and Liz are in a counselor's office, who asks
them to describe their perfect day. Liz talks about taking a leisurely
ride with their kids, who are watching a DVD, and spending some
quality time with the family. Joe, on the other hand, describes
powering down the road towing a boat, then doing some fishing. The
counselor tells them that even in fantasies their problem is that
they're not traveling in the same vehicle. But when Joe and Liz return
to the parking garage, there sits their all-new Durango, the perfect
combination of comfort and capability.

In the 'Necklace,' which will run in both English and Spanish, a
husband gives his wife a beautiful diamond necklace for their
anniversary. As he's putting it around her neck, he mentions that he
got himself a gift as well and points to the new Durango in the
driveway. As the husband proudly extols the virtues of 'his' new SUV
such as the comfort and convenience features that he's sure his wife
and family will enjoy, he also talks about the power and performance
of the HEMI engine. As the vehicle is shown driving down the road,
it's not the husband behind the wheel, but his wife, who has made the
Durango her own. As she tells her husband how much she loves the new
Durango, the camera pans over to the husband in the passenger seat,
who is now wearing the beautiful diamond necklace.

In the urban spot, 'Poster,' two men are standing at the vertical
stalls in a men's room. On the wall in front of them is a poster of
the all-new Durango. The men begin talking about the vehicle's
attributes, including the fact that it's now larger and more powerful
than before. Their conversation is overheard by a man in a stall, who
can't see the poster and assumes they are talking about something
entirely different. As the men finish, one of them makes one last
comment about the Durango, which prompts the man in the stall to open
the door to finally find out what these guys have been talking about.

Although yet to air, 'Poster' has received much publicity for what has
been portrayed as 'controversial' content.

As part of the approval process, all ads are reviewed by Chrysler
Group Senior Management as well as our dealers to ensure the
appropriateness of the message, with the vast majority
enthusiastically supporting this ad as well as the entire Durango
campaign. 'Poster' has also been tested by Millward Brown Research and
received a positive reaction from consumers, said Roehm. Because of
the nature of 'Poster,' the spot will not air during primetime network
programming, but only on late night and cable.

In addition, Dodge has also extended the 'Poster' creative into
cinemas across the country, targeting more than 2,000 African American
Consumer Market and Hispanic American Consumer Market theatres through
a partnership with Screenvision. The ad will run before R-rated films
during the strongest movie viewing time of the year from Thanksgiving
through the New Year.

The general market print campaign will break first in USA Today on
November 14 with a multi-page insert titled 'His & Hers,' featuring
some of the things that make men and women different, like a dirty
pair of work boots and neatly arranged dress shoes. The payoff comes
at the end with a shot of the new Durango and the line, 'Where
Capability and Refinement Come Together,' followed by specific
information on the capability and refinement features of the vehicle.

The launch ad will be followed by a series of single page ads and
spreads that educate the readers by highlighting key product
attributes such as the HEMI power, refinement and size of the Durango.
These ads will appear in such publications as Automobile, Car and
Driver, Sports Illustrated, In Style, Newsweek, People and Men's
Health.

Additionally, three multicultural print ads have been developed. The
headline for the Hispanic ad reads 'La Bella. La Bestia.' or 'The
Beauty. The Beast.' The two African American print headlines are 'Ride
Matters,' a single page ad and 'Size Does Matter,' a spread. A poster
version of 'Size Does Matter' will run in restrooms in major sports
stadiums, nightclubs and bars in the top 16 urban markets, focusing on
the Durango's many product features.

Beyond traditional television and print advertising, Dodge will also
feature Durango in two games. The first is the 2004 NHL Hitz Pro
Console Game, currently in stores. The game leverages Dodge's
partnership with the NHL by integrating the brand logo and voiceovers
into the Jumbotron, under the ice and on dasher boards. The Durango is
featured prominently in promotional in-store posters and Sunday papers
through Toys R Us. The grand prize for the sweepstakes is an all-new
2004 Durango SLT.

The other game, debuting on November 15, is The Ultimate Dodge Garage,
which focuses on the features and cargo capacity of the new Durango by
participating in a variety of tasks.

Dodge is also extending its partnership with NTN Digital Interactive
Television Network through the 2003 and 2004 season. The brand will
sponsor QB1, NTN's Predict-The-Play football strategy game, the Dodge
'Battle To The Bowl: III' trivia competition and the Dodge 'Haul Of
Fame' Advergame, featuring state-of-the-art 3D animation. The all-new
2004 Durango will be featured prominently in each of these. The NTN
iTV Network delivers interactive game content to over 3,100 sports
bars and restaurants across the country, reaching 1 million consumers
daily.

Durango will also play a role in a variety of Dodge events taking
place throughout 2004, including the Dodge Rodeo, NASCAR Weekly Racing
Series, Breeders' Cup Powered by Dodge, Good Guys events and other
shows targeting farming, construction, sports and outdoor.

Other communications elements include new content on dodge.com, which
mirrors the duality theme established in the television and print
campaigns by focusing on the new features of the Durango, an article
on the capability and refinement of the new Durango in the Dodge
Owners Magazine, a targeted direct mail piece and the development of
outdoor boards for dealers.

 

Well the description of the ads was almost enough to make me throw up.

Let's see now - my wife's most important feature is a small car that's easy
to fit in small parking spaces. My most important feature is a giant great
big car that jacks me up into God's ass and feeds my ego, and I don't care
that the only parking spaces it will fit in are 3/4 way across the parking
lot
in the rain.

Chrysler's answer is to produce a car that's mid-sized. So now I have a car
that isn't big enough for me that I hate, and my wife has a car that isn't
small
enough for her that she hates.

Smooth Move, ExLax!

Ted