When it comes to the Super Bowl, it sometimes seems like the battle between advertisers can be as fierce as the fight on the field. But Chrysler has been a real standout the last two years, first with an unconventional, two-minute spot featuring rapper Eminem, then last year returning with Clint Eastwood.
With the game a matter of weeks away, Chrysler is hoping to three-peat with a commercial still being pulled together. But one thing is certain, with Super Bowl airtime more expensive than ever, the automaker will look to find ways to leverage its message by making use of social media opportunities.
Olivier Francois, Chrysler’s chief marketing officer and the man behind the company’s stand at the last two Super Bowls, said thenext Super Bowl ad is still in the works. It’s been shot but it hasn’t taken final form yet, he noted during an interview this week at the North American International Auto Show.
Francois suggested Chrysler was still looking at its options on how to present the ad. “We’re debating that,” he said, noting several automakers among, Volkswagen, Kia and General Motors have placed their ads or versions of their Super Bowl spots on the Internet ahead of the game.
Chrysler, on the other hand, kept its two previous Super Bowl commercials, which introduced the theme, “Imported from Detroit,” under tight wraps until they actually aired.
But with even a 30-second spot now going for as much as $4 million, and a 2-minute mini-feature like the previous Chrysler ads costing several times more, the maker has to think about how to generate maximum leverage, stresses Marty Bernstein, TheDetroitBureau.com’s veteran advertising columnist.
“Only huge YouTube hits can equate to acceptable, even modest, return on investment,” Bernstein explained in his weekly column, Marty’s Marketing Minutia. “And the ultimate goal is to gain the number one ranking from a commercial ranking source, be it pure research, so-called expert panel or other measurement. Rumor has it at least two auto advertisers may show a sneak peak of their new commercials. What hath advertising wrought?”
Few commercials, automotive or otherwise, have generated such buzz and debate as the Chrysler spots of the last two years. But can Chrysler score as well during the next Super Bowl? Reid Bigland, president of the Ram Brand and the executive in charge of Chrysler Group sales appears to be taking tips from the political consultants, downplaying expectations during an appearance at an automotive industry conference this week.
He noted the commercials made for 2011 and 2012 had a magic that will be difficult to duplicate. “These ads cut through the clutter of automotive advertising in a big way,” he said. “They are going to be hard to beat,” added Bigland, who remained mum about whether Chrysler has recruited another star to use as a spokesman in the new commercial.
The 2011 Eminem spot has been given at least some of the credit for Chrysler’s steadily increasing momentum and, in particularly, for boosting retail demand for the Chrysler 200 line that continues to build to the day. With the “Imported from Detroit” tagline behind it retail sales of the car climbed from a mere 8,000 units in 2010 — when it was still called the Sebring — to 42,000 units in 2011 and 72,000 units last year, noted Bigland.
But the executive also said Chrysler is watching its ad spending carefully even as its steadily increases its broader marketing budget as the company returns to profitability. Chrysler actually went “dark” in terms of advertising back in the winter of 2009 because it had run out of money, he recalled.
A significant portion of the new spending is being shifted online and is tied in with efforts to generate leads for specific dealers, Bigland added.
Meanwhile, marketing chief Francois noted that the launch of each new vehicle offers Chrysler a chance to enhance its image. “Each new launch is an opportunity for me to build the brand,” he said. “I really like that we spend our money conscientiously,” he said. “We just spend what we need and that’s what we need to keep doing.”
Paul A. Eisenstein contributed to this report.
He don’t impress me at all let alone inspire me to buy a Chrysler product.