Dodge to air Super Bowl commercial

Brad Wernle

January 13, 2010 – 2:48 pm ET

DETROIT — The Dodge brand will air a 60-second commercial on the Super Bowl telecast this year, says Olivier Francois, lead executive for marketing of all Chrysler Group brands.

“It looks like the ad we have today,” said Francois at the Detroit auto show Monday. “It sends a message of irreverence, passion for cars and fun to drive.”

The commercial is being created by the new advertising agency for Dodge brand, Wieden + Kennedy, the edgy Portland, Ore.-based agency known for creating Nike’s “Just Do It” campaign.

Chrysler Group’s brands have not run a national ad on the Super Bowl for several years, though they have run regional commercials in recent years during the game.

The last national spot during a Super Bowl was in 2005 and featured the Dodge Magnum.

Under new management led by Fiat, Chrysler has turned its advertising strategy upside down. The company dismissed longtime ad agency BBDO, which handled ads for all brands, and appointed individual agencies for each of the brands.

In October, Chrysler announced it would market the Ram brand for commercial vehicles separately from Dodge. Chrysler executives believe they can give the Dodge brand more room to breathe by marketing Ram as a separate brand.

via autonews.com