"Impeguh?" "What's an Impeguh? A kind of bird? A beautiful model?" Who else but Ron Burgundy, the hapless lousy anchorman played by Will Ferrell would ask that question? You know what Impeguh
is, of course. Oh, let me fix the spelling: MPG, as in miles per gallon.
You see, Chrysler's Dodge brand is rolling out the newest version of its Dodge Durango SUV with a campaign
focused on digital that uses Ferrell's anchorman character as spokesperson. Of course Dodge gets its own scoop, although paid: it's a cross promo with the Auburn Hills, Mich. automaker helping
advertise the new Anchorman film coming out later this year.
Olivier Francois, CMO at Chrysler and Fiat Group Automobile laid out the campaign over the weekend at the Association of
National Advertisers conference in Scottsdale, in the Sonoman desert.
He screened the ads, too. In the spots, Ferrell shares space with the vehicle on a curtained-off dais. He is clearly
improvising as he comments on the vehicle and does hijinks. In one he touts the car, but can't leave the dais because he can't find the break in the curtain. In another, meant to show off the
vehicle's horsepower, a horse is also on the dais. The actor disparages the horse for only having one horsepower. But then he sees the horse's foal, and apologizes for insulting his father.