Chrysler is the smallest of the Detroit Three car manufacturers, and has the smallest marketing budget of them all.  It has a long established product, but is not considered by the general consumer as a coveted brand.  Competing head to head with GM, or Ford is a difficult prospect, as they are the number 2 and number 4 (respectively) advertisers in the United States  For this reason, Olivier Francois, director of marketing, feels that risks need to be taken in order for his company to get their message across.  His approach is to increase the impact of his adds through creativity.  He has been rolling out commercials headlined by celebrities.  This has been done before, but the Chrysler ads differ from just having a celebrity “talk” about why you should buy a vehicle.  The first popular Chrysler ad featured rapper Eminem,  with a pounding musical beat in the background and a cool Detroit vibe.  The goal was to evoke an emotional link to the heyday of the Detroit automobile era, while making it look cool and current.  The second ad featured Clint Eastwood “talking about America making a comeback”.  This implied that the consumer could be a part of that recovery, thereby making buying a car more  valuable to the consumer (value proposition).  In the newest ad, the focus will be on humor, as Will Ferrell appears as “Ron Burgundy, Anchorman” to pitch the product.  Humorous commercials are typically popular and lead to a lot of comments like “hey did you see that funny ad”.  Getting people to talk about your advertising can be just as valuable as them talking about your product.  It keeps people interested and when it comes time to buy a vehicle it could be the thing that brings them in to purchase.  To paraphrase  Chrysler’s (Dodge) Tim Kuniskis, CEO, he could stick a commercial with footage of a vehicle driving and a generic voice telling you about it, but it would just get lost in the ad world.  However,  If you run an ad with Will Ferrell, it is more likely to get the consumer to take notice.

http://www.canadianbusiness.com/business-news/chrysler-signs-will-farrell-to-make-pitch-for-dodge-suv-as-anchorman-character-ron-burgundy/

Cristiano Ronaldo – Shirt Sales

Real Madrid made a smart move in picking up Cristiano Ronaldo.  This is a great example of “spending money to make money”, and I am supposing some astute projections of profit .  Merchandising is such a big component of any sports franchise.  Not only does it generate revenue, but it is also the gift that keeps on giving-advertising for the club walking around every day.  As stated in the article they are predicting that throughout his six year contract his market value will be recovered in merchandising alone.  Factor in the ticket sales he generates as well and it is a very good deal.

New contract for Coast Guard Ships is expected to bring new jobs to Vancouver

It was interesting to see that Jonathan posted this article as my father and I were discussing this very announcement today.  My father owns a stainless steel fabrication business, (we’ll call it PM), and is the employer of several skilled welders and fabricators.  The project is undeniably a good thing for the area,and PM.  On the positive side PM will be bidding on contracts for components of the ships which will be sub-contracted out, and that is good.  However, the concern presents itself that in a labour market where there is already a shortage of skilled workers, the possibility exists that his employees may leave for the higher paying jobs at the shipyards, and who could fault them.  While it is not a certainty it is a possibility that could be devastating.  So now there will need to be an action plan in place to help aid employee retention. PM will be consulting with a Human Resource professional to see how to best manage the situation if it arises.

https://blogs.ubc.ca/jonathanjuvik/2013/10/07/new-contract-for-coast-guard-ships-is-expected-to-bring-new-jobs-to-vancouver/

Chrysler is the smallest of the Detroit Three car manufacturers, and has the smallest marketing budget of them all.  It has a long established product, but is not considered by the general consumer as a coveted brand.  Competing head to head with GM, or Ford is a difficult prospect, as they are the number 2 and number 4 (respectively) advertisers in the U.S. For this reason, Olivier Francois, director of marketing, feels that risks need to be taken in order for his company to get their message across.  His approach is to increase the impact of his adds through creativity.  He has been rolling out commercials headlined by celebrities.  This has been done before, but the Chrysler ads differ from just having a celebrity “talk” about why you should by a vehicle.  The first popular Chrysler ad featured rapper Eminem, with a pounding musical beat in the background and a cool Detroit vibe, in an effort to evoke an emotional link to the heyday of the Detroit automobile era.  The second ad featured Clint Eastwood “talking about America making a comeback”.  This implied that the consumer could be a part of that recovery, thereby making buying a car more valuable to the consumer (value proposition).  In the newest ad, the focus will be on humor, as Will Ferrell appears as “Ron Burgundy, Anchorman” to pitch the product.  Humorous commercials are typically popular and lead to a lot of comments like “hey did you see that funny ad”.  Getting people to talk about your advertising can be just as valuable as them talking about your product.  It keeps people interested and when it comes time to buy a vehicle is could be the thing that brings them in to purchase.  To paraphrase Chrysler’s (Dodge) Tim Kuniskis, CEO, he could stick a commercial with footage of a vehicle driving and a generic voice telling you about it, but it would just get lost.  If you run an ad with Will Ferrell, which is more likely to get the consumer to take notice.

http://www.canadianbusiness.com/business-news/chrysler-signs-will-farrell-to-make-pitch-for-dodge-suv-as-anchorman-character-ron-burgundy/