Wieden + Kennedy create longest Super Bowl ad for Chrysler
Who would have guessed? Chrysler, the car firm bailed out at a cost of billions by the US Government in 2009, will set a record for the most expensive spot in TV history tomorrow at the US Superbowl in Texas.
The Detroit car firm, now partnered with Fiat, will run a commercial two minutes long - taking over an entire commercial break in the process - at a cost reportedly almost 20 times the $400,000-plus cost of a spot on top US show American Idol.
Regular 30-second Super Bowl spots have gone for $3 million and all are sold. Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne wouldn't say how much Chrysler is spending - except that it was "less than $9 million."
Chrysler had to get special permission from the National Football League for the ad. Most Super Bowl ad breaks last just a minute and a half.
The super-size ad should help Chrysler stand out among a host of car ads at this year's game , said Ad Age. Nine different car brands -- among them Audi, Kia, Chevrolet, Volkswagen and Mercedes-Benz -- will be appearing.
"The glut of auto ads may have viewers rubbing their eyes and trying to differentiate between the various commercials." said the magazine.
In addition to the l-o-n-g spot, however, Chrysler has hired Eminem to win attention. The commercial, which will air during the third quarter, will feature his song "Lose Yourself."
“It will be worth watching,” said Marchionne said during the J.D. Power Automotive Roundtable in San Francisco .The ad will be for the mid-size Chrysler 200, which replaces the Chrysler Sebring. Chrysler will reposition itself as an upscale luxury brand during the piece, asking: “What does a town (Detroit) that’s been to hell and back know about luxury?”
The spot was developed by Wieden + Kennedy based in Portland Oregon. The longtime agency for Nike, Wieden+Kennedy is known for "bold ideas that draw considerable comment and controversy," said Ad Age.Chrysler has just reported a smaller $199-million net loss for the fourth-quarter of 2010, down from the $2.7 billion loss in the same period a year earlier . In San Francisco , Marchionne also denied that the company might sell its Alfa Romeo brand to Volkswagen.
"As long as I am CEO of Chrysler and Fiat, Mr. (Volkswagen Chairman Ferdinand) Piech will never have Alfa Romeo," Marchionne said.
Chrysler announced the partnership with Fiat in June last year. The Italian company holds a 25% stake in the new Chrysler, with an option to increase its stake to 35%, and up to 51%, if it meets financial and development goals . Fiat's stake cannot go beyond 49% until the US government has been paid back in full.
The original US loan was $12.5 billion and $5.8 billion of that is still owing. With interest rates of 11 to 12 per cent, the company is seeking private finance to cut its interest bill of $3 million a day.