• by Karl Greenberg , January 4, 2010

 

Chrysler dealers told the Auburn Hills, Mich. automaker to speak up about the company's current status and its future -- including the fact that it is no longer in Chapter 11 protection. The result was a brief campaign comprising a single 60-second TV spot that ran over the weekend and may continue, although the company is mum about just how and where that may happen.

The campaign "Coming Home" -- which is intended to tell consumers, obliquely, that Chrysler is not bankrupt and that it is an ongoing part of the fabric of American life -- received heavy coverage over the weekend football bowl series.

The effort -- via Chrysler's new agency, Publicis-owned Fallon, based in Minneapolis -- uses a single Gladstone bag as a creative focal point. In the ad, the bag makes its way through history in the back seats of various Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep vehicles. The ad has a series of historical-footage vignettes in which guys throw the bag into vehicles and hit the road, or their driveways.

The spot begins with a guy throwing the leather case into a '30s-era Chrysler Airflow, then moves on to vehicles like a World War II-era Jeep, a '70s-era Dodge Charger, Jeep Grand Cherokee and finally, a contemporary Chrysler 300 in which a guy rolls up to a Christmas-decorated house to meet his family.

Voiceover says: "We have traveled far and we have traveled wide. And together we have come a long way. There are still many roads to travel down and many adventures to share. To America, our traveling companion, happy holidays."

The company ran the spot in each of the bowl games during the weekend, including the Rose, Sugar, Outback, and Fiesta bowls. "We wanted that reach with that audience," said a spokesperson. "Of course, we'd like to run it again." He says dealers were telling Chrysler that the problem was that a lot of customers were jittery because they did not know the company had emerged from bankruptcy. "That was a big part of the 'why' for this campaign."

The spokesperson also said that the company will be low key at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit next week, reflecting a change in new-product show strategy to reveal new products closer to the time when they will be available to consumers.

This year, Chrysler -- which became part of Fiat Group last year -- will launch a redesigned Jeep Grand Cherokee, a refreshed Jeep Patriot, and refreshed versions of its other vehicles. Two years from now, Jeep gets several Fiat-based vehicles. The Chrysler brand will finally get a fully redesigned Sebring, and Chrysler 300 sedan. Then two years hence, a Fiat-based car. Dodge is also set to get a Fiat-based car next year.