Without being too specific, DaimlerChrysler AG's Chrysler Group is about to introduce a new marketing campaign that for the first time ever hints at Chrysler's connection to its parent company's
Mercedes brand without directly mentioning it by name. The move poses something of a risk because while it could add luster to Chrysler's image, it could do the opposite for Mercedes. But Chrysler
needs to do something to pump up sales, which have been sluggish because of high gasoline prices pulling buyers away from pickup trucks and sport-utility vehicles. In a series of commercials and
advertisements scheduled to begin later this month or in early July, Chrysler plans to play up the "German engineering" that goes into its vehicles. Chrysler's major advertising campaigns haven't
emphasized the ties between the two, though Mercedes parts and design elements have crept into Chrysler models in recent years. Chrysler spokesman Jason Vines declined to discuss the campaign in
detail but acknowledged it will "emphasize the benefits of the merger" in 1998 that created DaimlerChrysler, of Stuttgart, Germany, and Auburn Hills, Mich., and is designed to make Chrysler "stand
out" from its mass-market competitors.
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