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Why do we get the feeling that Chrysler’s giant front-page ad in the New York Times isn’t sending the message Chrysler thinks it is?
41 Comments on “What’s Wrong With This Picture: Love It Or Leave It… Or Both Edition...”
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I don’t get it. Why would any American be proud of a gussied-up Sebring?
Advertising 101: avoid at all costs slogans that can easily be misconstrued (in a non-advantageous way). I thought the Eminem TV spot was fantastic, so hopefully this blunder won’t ruin the whole campaign.
What Samuel Johnson said.
It is an ad that relies on an ignorant audience. There are few more ignorant than that of the New York Times. Maybe this will sell some obsolete Mitsubishi based garbage to people who were going to buy an Audi for the sparkly DRLs.
All ads rely on a level of ignorance.
I’m curious what you consider publications with more informed readers? What qualities make for a more informed readership? I’m always looking for good news sources to throw into my rotation.
Yeah, they’re talking about renting it out. Or they’re leasing it to the same subprime customers.
I would be proud not to own one.
I really liked Chrysler’s Eminem commercial. Enough to be shunned from TTAC I’m sure.
I enjoy reading up on TTAC every day, but must confess Chrysler-bashing fatigue is now setting in. The ad is fine, after all it’s not targeted at angry young (at heart) men (TTAC readers), but the newspaper-reading population.
Sergio for Governor!
They forgot the bible and shotgun.
Patriotism…is the last refuge of a scoundrel.
And patriotism surrounding a product from a business that was unlawfully taken by its owners, its assets hidden from legal claimants, and then given, yes given, to a foreign entity in the name of “protecting” contract-labor employees…is patriotism misplaced.
I find little engaging in the Chrysler lineup, and much disgust at Chrysler’s current circumstances.
You may not like the bailout, but bankruptcy protection and legislation that made the bailout possible can’t be described as unlawful.
Unless you use a different dictionary than I do…
Bankruptcy laws were ignored. Secured bondholders’ claims were ignored – without legal justification.
Meantime, labor contracts, which ARE to be invalidated in a bankruptcy, were not.
Meantime, the Estate (the legal term for a bankrupt entity) which did have value, was turned over to a private manufacturer, a foreign entity – and without cash compensation.
Now…how can a person buy corporate bonds with confidence, having seen a Bankruptcy Court discount claims, SECURED claims, without law to back that action?
I think Boff is the only one so far who has commented on the point of this article.
“A car you don’t have to own to be proud of.”
Really, the ad is selling the car by telling me I don’t have to own it? Wow, they are selling patriotism for free! This is the best deal ever!
+100 for Boff & Benya.
“A car you don’t have to own to be proud of…”
So wrong on so many levels. Fiatsler better establish “Imported From Detroit” first before they try being clever with the patriotic tie-in. Of course Fiatsler would best establish the campaign if they had a line of cars worthy of the slogan…
Of course you don’t. Get it as a rental! There will be plenty of those. :)
For myself, even as a lefty-leaning lib’rul bailout sympathizer, I don’t have a problem invoking images of national pride to move product, and I support American manufacturing workers having as many jobs as possible, even if we have to occasionally intercede in the all-sacred ‘free market’…but this is laying it on a bit thick.
Mighta worked if they were hawking the new 300, or a Charger SR-T…but the 200? not so much…of course, saying “we took a really crappy car and made it noticeably less crappy, now it’s vaguely competitive in it’s market!!!” just doesn’t have the same sizzle.
Vaguely competitive in about 2008, the market has moved on since then. And about to be less competitive by the next model year.
“A Car You Don’t Have To Own…”
OK – I won’t take two.
Wait a minute –
This is in the NYT –
Are they telling New Yorkers that Chrysler recognizes that this is not a car they would buy but a car patriotic yahoos in Flyover Country would so that Chrysler can justify asking for more bail out cash?
Though I thought the Eminem ad was cool I may be the one person that thought it was a stupid move. “Lose Yourself” is as much about failure as it is about success. It also is about being humble in order to know when you have that one moment to go for the gold. Chrysler isn’t looking especially humble lately, and it should be so now more than ever.
Well now that they mention it, I’m quite pleased with myself that I don’t own one. As one of the miserable benighted NYT readers, I guess I’ll have to look elsewhere for automotive inspiration. Perhaps Audi will sponsor our nationally treasured paragon of truth Glenn Beck.
This just in: Hyundai web advertisement seen on Chrysler owner’s monitor.
I actually burst out laughing when I saw this ad early this morning. For some reason I thought of the old Packard ads: “Ask the man who owns one.” Maybe the next Chrysler ad will be “Ask the man who doesn’t own one.”
“Ask the anyone why they don’t own one…”
Toyota already hi-jacked the old Packard ads, complete with their very own Lee Iacocca look-alike! That spokeman’s silver hair would do Educator Dan’s avatar proud! The ad reminds me how I felt for years after buying our 1999 Stratus after looking at a 1999 Malibu: Sure glad I didn’t buy a Malibu! This ad clearly left the impression that you would be proud NOT to buy a 200. For Chrysler’s sake, I sincerely hope they’re wrong.
Yeah those Toyota ads for the Avalon definitely try to grab the “Travel Luxuriously” vibe of old Packard adverts. I will say this for old Lee Iaccoca, he knew what sort of frosting to put on the cake. Didn’t matter if it was a Ford LTD or a K-car based Imperial.
Seems to me there was a Bruce McCall Packard ad satirizing Packard’s final days, with the tagline: “Ask the Man: Who Owns One?”
This is not exactly Studebaker-Packard redux but the parallels are numerous.
Maybe they’ve got a lease program coming?
BTW, calling the car a gussied up Sebring or old Mitsubishi betrays a lack of research. I’ve rented a 2009 Sebring, and one sister liked it. I decided to go with her to look at the 200. The interior is night-and-day different, and in person the sheet metal is more distinctive than the Sebring. I was surprised with the improvement in ride and handling on the test drive, and especially impressed with the Pentastar V-6 compared to the 3.5 V-6 in the rental. The steering precision and AT shifting could be better, but overall, it’s average for the midsize segment, with a better-than-average interior, a major improvement over what came before.
Considering this model is a short term stopgap, it seems too much effort is going into selling this car, but it may be that Sergio’s boys think the package has improved enough to help resurrect Chrysler’s reputation somewhat in advance of new models coming out in the next couple years. I’d liken it to washing your mouth out after an accidental swig of vinegar. You may prefer to gargle Perrier, but cold tap water works too.
The Best and The Brightest is off again.
I know its hard to do some research, but could people here be less intellectually lazy and find out if the 200 is more than a reskin?
There have been significant changes to not only styling, but suspension, powertrain, NVH. You name it, and it has been changed.
But who cares, since its Chrysler, Pile it on!
How has the suspension changed?
How did the suspension change? For starters, my brother designed this one–with far less input from budgeting than in the past.
Every US taxpayer owns a part of every Chrysler, but we all don’t get to drive one.
Wait. Are they seriously positioning the Sebring as a luxury car?
Sometimes guys you got to try to be a little “ballsy” instead of “safe,” when your at the bottom you can’t sit around and whine. This is a much better ad than the ones that were done for the K-car with a red, white, and blue engine.
You’re right, Dan. Reminds me what I quoted from Iacocca’s first book the other day: “When you’re going down, you might as well start screaming – someone may hear you”!
The first thought I had when I saw the ad was ‘didn’t EAGLE go out of business in 1998?” That ad copy doesn’t make much sense at all.
I gave it a full two seconds this morning and could not figure out what they were talking about. Scroll down to egypt and tea party.
I still don’t get it. I am not thrashing about, trying to figure it out, just don’t get it.
Seems like a natural slogan for a rental car. So, totally appropriate for a Sebring/200.
Exactly. As in, check us out the next time you rent instead of turning up your nose at the opportunity. Then maybe, just maybe, you’ll be so pleasantly surprised that. . . . Eh, but maybe not.
Never mind.
All the same, I’ll take a Hyundai over a Fiasler, thanks.
“Imported from Detroit” . LOL!
Yeah, that sounds about right.
“Imported from Sierra Leone” has a nice ring too.