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“Edgy” ads are in for marketers looking to reignite America’s love affair with the minivan. If you thought Toyota’s “Swagger Wagon” Sienna spot seemed strange, check out this inexplicably surreal ad for Dodge’s Caravan. The ad’s creator Wieden + Kennedy was hired to give Dodge a hipper image, but thus far it has singularly failed to capture the magic of its previous auto work, like Honda’s “Cog” spot. Maybe that’s why Chrysler Group decided to go with Gotham for its forthcoming corporate image-enhancing ad campaign.
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Hardly on a par with the Kia hamster ads or the toys that come to life.
Huh.
In the same way that Toyota’s “Swagger Wagon” nails it’s target market, this one misses it. By a lot.
My reactions
1. WTF?
2. Somebody got paid for this?
3. Somebody approved this?
4. Somebody had worse ideas that were rejected?
5. Shouldn’t the people in the advertising agency be wearing the masks?
6. Did they look at the Toyota Swagger Wagon ad and say “we need to make one that’s even worse”?
7. Is it too late to hire Brooke Shields away from Volkswagen?
I think the condescending comments out of her mouth.. were just too much.
Then again..
They could see it as competition.
WTF? What kind of drugs do I need to be on for this to make sense?
Dodge may have unintentionally cornered the furry market.
Oh, god…
What’s next, selling the Caliber to Otaku?
My thoughts exactly. It could only be more perfect if the van’s license plates said “YIFF”.
(Raising hand) Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhh I know!!!!!!!!!!! How bout Ram Trucks for “Daddies.”
In the follow up ad, the kittens return to the rental counter.
It kind of makes sense to me. They are implying that young multi-ethnic metrosexual hipster criminals like minivans (and expensive animal masks), and so you don’t have to feel like buying a Caravan symbolizes the death of all pretension that your children don’t run your life. Cause you could always go to a furry orgy/drug deal in a dank warehouse in your Caravan. I think.
I think Frank Cross (Bill Murray) said it best
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kf1HLBWw20g
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0096061/
This is odd, but better than the ‘swagger wagon’ Sienna ads. It doesn’t make me want to go buy a Caravan (but really, nothing would make me want to go buy a minivan) but at least it doesn’t make me want to get a baseball bat and smash out Sienna windows like the Toyota ads do.
@nullo modo,
+1.
I saw this ad and thought, hmm… In order to understand the message, I must do more psychotropic drugs.
I saw the ‘Swagger Wagon’ and thought that the people who ripped off Weird Al Yankovic’s style needed to do more psychotropic drugs.
BTW, You have become my favorite TTACer lately (Even if you are a Ford guy) (just kidding)
mmmkay.
Desperate times call for desperate measures.
And, man, is that desperate and strange. Stranger even than the original Infiniti ads where you never saw the vehicle.
Obviously whoever made created this commercial was trying to get beyond the Soccer Mom stereotype of the minivan and was too clever by half. It comes off looking like Rene Magritte meets West Side Story;
too surreal for its own good.
Apparantly Susan Docherty is now moonlighting at Chrylser.
Let’s all dress up like cats and do the Minivan Dance!
I like it. It’s funny, and it makes just enough sense. Cats, mice, & dogs, nothing too complicated, with a little non-sequitur. Are any of you really surprised by vagaries in an advertisement these days?
I liked the Sienna ad. This one is not as good (but it’s a lot shorter and to the point), but it is better than the Hyundai ad where they shoot the girl out of the over sized rubber band. At least in the Dodge ad you get to see some of the features it has, unlike the Sienna or Hyundai as (where you don’t even see the car – I think – I can’t remember…).
Ya know…
I think I snorted a bit much to actually watch the entire Swagger Wagon ad..
I started thinking.. is this commercial meant for the japanese market?
I cant help but love the lines and or the design work, ntm the current technology that shows the wrap around lights fore and aft. I think its a good looking Van.– Asthetically speaking.. of course.
As far as this Minivan ad..
Are these the same people who did I live, I am.. B.S (Jeep?)