Who’s Helping Who
October 15th, 2013
Recently, Dodge ran a series of ads for the release of next year’s Durango SUV. The ads were run on conventional TV stations and also uploaded to YouTube as most large companies now do. The campaign was run in conjunction with Paramount Studios to promote Will Ferrell’s upcoming film “Anchorman 2”, which is scheduled to be released this December. It’s an unconventional pairing that resulted in some memorable ads, some of which are nearing the 1 million view mark on YouTube, but who really benefitted from this joint venture.
It would be safe to speculate that Dodge fronted the majority of the bill for these ads, the talent (Will Ferrell), has already done numerous promotions for Anchorman 2 and on top of this the original Anchorman was a highly successful film that in many respects elevated Farrell’s career to new heights. But is having Will Ferrell on board to advertise the 2014 Durango worth its weight in revenues? It’s hilarious to hear Ferrell’s character Ron Burgundy speaking about the Durango’s glove box but what message is being sent to consumers about the vehicle? As one viewer commented: “Is it safe to assume I can fit one turkey sandwich and 35 packs of gum?”, unlikely the sort of dialogue Dodge intended. Yes, it has been proven men in the demographic between ages 18-30 respond to humour in marketing (see Kraft’s “Mio” campaign and Old Spice’s “Smell Like a Man” campaign) but I would argue that in this case they are responding to Paramount’s advertising rather than Dodge’s. People are more excited that Ron Burgundy is back in action than they are about Dodge releasing the 2014 Durango model. The exposure is there but the message gets lost in the Ferrell’s funny-as-always razzle-dazzle.