Chrysler Goes All-In On "Imported From Detroit"

Edward Niedermeyer
by Edward Niedermeyer

Chrysler got so much buzz out of its “Imported From Detroit” Super Bowl ad that it sold out of apparel bearing the tagline “within hours” and even had GM Marketing boss Joel Ewanick admitting

Yeah, we’re getting our butts kicked.

Now Chrysler is literally wrapping itself in the tagline, covering its Auburn Hills headquarters with the semi-ironic (what with ChryCo headquarters being located in Auburn Hills and all) phrase. And Chrysler’s ad agency is even exploring ways to remake Chrysler’s dealerships into “Detroit Embassies.” AdAge quotes the Creative Director for Chrysler’s ad agency Wieden + Kennedy as saying

One of things we’ve been working on for last couple of days is a dealer kit. How can we make dealers around America feel like Detroit embassies? How can we put this feeling about Detroit and its optimistic resurgence in dealerships? We’ll help them keep that stuff rolling.

But will it make a difference?

Wharton management professor John Paul MacDuffie notes that the ad works well with Chrysler’s image of an icon reborn but

Despite the ad’s emphasis on luxury, the 200 is really competing against the core mid-size sedans offered by both domestic and foreign automakers, which means such powerhouse products in terms of reliability … and reputation as the Toyota Camry, Honda Civic, Nissan Altima and Hyundai Sonata. As one reviewer put it, the 200 appears to be a more value-priced alternative to these products than a strong head-to-head competitor.

Luckily for Chrysler, the ad has already increased consideration of the 200 (at least as measured by web searches) and, as MacDuffie puts it

What they’ll find is that most reviews of the car “draw an explicit contrast to the Sebring, the model on the same platform that preceded it. The Sebring had all sorts of problems, so it is easy for the 200 to make a positive impression by comparison.”

So the ad may open a few minds to Chrysler, but it still remains very much to be seen if sales improve much as a result. If not, Chrysler’s all-in bet on the tagline could transform it into a punchline.


Edward Niedermeyer
Edward Niedermeyer

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  • Jacob_coulter Jacob_coulter on Feb 18, 2011

    Dumb marketing, imo. 99% of Americans have a bad impression of Detroit. Face it, Detroit's a failed city, and Chrysler is a failed brand that has now been bailed out twice. And it's not even an American company anymore, it's Italian. Flashy marketing doesn't sell cars, it's not beer or sneakers. Product quality sells car, and Chrysler has crap product. They'll be at the trough once again begging for a government handout, maybe Eminem can loan them some money.

  • Keith Tomas Keith Tomas on Feb 19, 2011

    I don't know why they insisted on making the Sebring/Avenger and Caliber in the first place.

  • MaintenanceCosts It's not a Benz or a Jag / it's a 5-0 with a rag /And I don't wanna brag / but I could never be stag
  • 3-On-The-Tree Son has a 2016 Mustang GT 5.0 and I have a 2009 C6 Corvette LS3 6spd. And on paper they are pretty close.
  • 3-On-The-Tree Same as the Land Cruiser, emissions. I have a 1985 FJ60 Land Cruiser and it’s a beast off-roading.
  • CanadaCraig I would like for this anniversary special to be a bare-bones Plain-Jane model offered in Dynasty Green and Vintage Burgundy.
  • ToolGuy Ford is good at drifting all right... 😉
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