automotive

Chrysler Taps Comedians To Say 'Don't Touch My Dart'

Chrysler Group's Dodge division hasn't put a lot of wax on Dart for a while, but now the chamois is on the hood to buff the model to a blinding gleam. Just don't touch it. A new campaign for the car features comedian/actors Craig Robinson, probably best known for "The Office," and Jake Johnson from "Let's Be Cops" with a theme: "Don't Touch My Dart” that launches this week.

The effort, launching this week, comprises vignette ads in which Robinson owns a new Dart and Johnson, his neighbor, wishes he did. The launch spot sets the theme and successive ads go from there, with Robinson ever more obsessed with keeping the sheet metal absolutely pristine. The effort, via Portland, Ore.-based Wieden + Kennedy, also uses original music by Robinson in some of the spots.

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Olivier Francois, Chrysler Group CMO, said each chapter will focus on different Dart product attributes and features. "[The comedians] deliver that while maintaining the essence of the Dodge brand spirit, character and full-of-life attitude," he said in a statement.

The company says it will have 24 variations of 5-second TV billboards and 15- and 30-second commercials both for digital and TV. The first three ads start this week on CBS’ “Mike and Molly” and “Under the Dome”; ABC’s “NY Med”; NBC’s “America’s Got Talent”; and the dedicated site, www.DontTouchMyDart.com.

In one of the ads, Robinson does not subscribe to the idea that the first scratch on a new car is a rite of passage -- a necessary one. Another takes protectionism to an extreme with the idea that Robinson doesn't even want a car touched with his friend's voice, while touting Dart’s Uconnect touchscreen media center.

The company says forthcoming spots will air on network and cable entertainment, sports and news programs. Also, Dodge is partnering with CollegeHumor.com for native, contextually relevant content around “Don’t Touch My Dart,” meaning that it is suitable for "a more mature audience," per the automaker.

Then, later in the month comes an interactive element to the Web site, where, on a YouTube extension, people can get a humorous response when they try to "touch" Robinson's new Dart.

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