Dodged Spanked For Monkey Ad

You may have caught a version of this ad on television not long ago, in which an actual monkey fires a confetti cannon. Notice that the monkey doesn’t show up in this version? That’s no coincidence. The Dodge brand, which has previously baffled audiences with such retrograde nonsense as calling the Charger R/T “Man’s Last Stand,” has backed down from using a monkey in its advertising after being criticized by PETA. So much for that thin veneer of über-macho, anti-PC gloss. Hit the jump for Dodge’s petulant response to allegations of animal cruelty.

At Chrysler’s corporate blog,”The Dodge Team” explains:

Yes, we know, chimpanzees aren’t monkeys.

That was one of many facts we learned through the process of shooting our latest commercial for the Dodge Tent Event. The commercial features a young chimpanzee (Suzie) in a daredevil suit. She walks up to a detonator, pushes down the lever and triggers a less-than-huge confetti explosion.

We posted the ad to YouTube, where it garnered thousands of views and hundreds of comments applauding the commercial for its wit and humor. However, there were a few negative comments about animal cruelty that caught our eye. Next, we received two emails, one from PETA and the other from a chimpanzee sanctuary in Washington. Both informed us about the poor conditions of working animal “actors.” They told us how these animals are usually separated from their mothers at a young age, and are usually discarded at seedy roadside attractions after they get too old to act.

We were saddened to learn this, and in the spirit of Dodge, we wanted to take action. We decided to take the spot off the air, and we stopped a full-page newspaper spread from running. Dodge is firmly committed to never using great apes in our advertisements again. We released a new commercial. The footage is identical, only this time you won’t see Suzie. There’s a twist you won’t miss. Make no mistake – we’re not making light of the issue. We hope our attempt at humor keeps the discussion about animal rights alive … and so far, it seems to be working. You’re here, aren’t you? And now, when people ask “Where’s the monkey?” we can direct them to resources where they can learn more about animal cruelty prevention.

We are not a company that hides behind issues or brushes them under the rug. We are a company that meets issues head-on and moves forward. And we promise to keep doing everything in our power to be one of the most honest and forward-thinking companies out there.

Meanwhile, we’re still waiting for an apology for this ad. And would it kill someone to make some kind of statement expressing regret and contrition for the way the Sebring turned out? Chrysler’s just starting to pull the monkeys off its back…