Chrysler’s Variety Hour
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| :30 spot #1, @ 1.5 MB |
Chrysler is currently running a low energy television campaign featuring Lee Iacocca and a damn variety of freaking stars! Well just Snoop and Jason Alexander.
These are all quite boring, and frankly I think the majority of the American public has forgotten what Lee Iacocca looks like if they even know who he is at all. In this first spot with Snoop is the only place he is identified (as Icazzizle), making it more of a reintroduction of mister Iacocca to the public at large then it is a “celebrity” product endorsement.
The obscuirty of the main cameo star aside, all of these ads are boring and mostly awkward. In this first spot, a crusty of white man is paired up with the D O Double-Jizzle himself, Snoop Doggity Dog. Yawn.
Something is weird with the audio design here, both of the men seem strangely voiced-over. The camera movements are stilted and uncomfortable. This commercial is an error of Biblical proportions.
As part of a strange side-note, Snoop Dog’s has apparently trademarked his pimp image, a.k.a. “Pimpage”, USA Today reports.
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| :30 #2, @ 1.5 MB |
Moving on, in the next spot Lee is once again unhilariously paired up with another star, George from Seinfeld. It’s quite clear Jason Alexander is supposed to be his “George” character talking to his boss George Streinbrenner here. And once again we see another commercial that relies on the existence of the Seinfeld TV show to make any sense.
If you can make sense of this odd cameo, it is far from funny. I don’t find Iacocca to be the warm sunny “Dave Thomas” of Chrysler, though he remains as wooden and lifeless on screen as did Thomas.
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| :30 spot #3, @ 1.5 MB |
And much like Dave Thomas, here is Iacocca with his grand daughter in a TV spot. Or an actor hired to replace his grand daughter after the first one died on set from boredom. Once again this is a strange, stilted spot with no warmth or humor. Without knowing who Iacocca is, this spot remains a big question mark to viewers.
The death nail to this campaign is the terrible catch phrase “If you can find a better car, buy it!” being hammered into the audience’s brain. It’s not funny and, well, tells the customer to find a better car. And Chrylser’s big products aren’t really cars, they are Jeeps and SUVs. Oh yeah and The Simpsons made up this product sales line as a joke years ago. (Krusty: “If you can find a better hypno disc..You buy it!”).
For more information about Lee Iacocca visit your local library.
Comment // September 5th, 2005 // 1:27 pm
I would like to thank my local abc affliate for playing the snoop dog commercial approximately 200 billion times during football games. I wasn’t really considering buying a chrysler but those commercials have sealed the deal.
Just like Fanta.
Comment // September 5th, 2005 // 4:15 pm
I can’t watch a movie in a local theater without seeing two or three Fanta ads first.
Chrysler has so many good vehicles and you only BARELY see part of Snoop’s car before they begin tooling around in his tricked out golf cart. And you can’t buy that from a Chrysler dealer, I recently found out.
Comment // September 7th, 2005 // 5:05 pm
In the commercial where Lee is talking to the little girl, watch the newspaper. The paper is folded in half, and times he’s apparently READING THE PAPER UPSIDE DOWN. Watch closely. The half we can see (away from him) is right side up, meaning his side is upside down! Goofy!
Comment // September 8th, 2005 // 3:00 pm
Like Socrates, Lee Iacocca can read upside-down latin with his left eye while reading upside-down greek with his right eye.
Comment // September 19th, 2005 // 1:13 am
They should let this guy be in their next commercial. Sort of like Snoop….
http://homepage.mac.com/marcused/Essentials/iMovieTheater39.html
Comment // September 19th, 2005 // 9:48 pm
Was that just an attempt to find an excuse to write off buying an iPod?
Comment // April 2nd, 2006 // 5:51 pm
You say:
Oh yeah and The Simpsons made up this product sales line as a joke years ago. (Krusty: “If you can find a better hypno disc..You buy it!”).
Actually, this was Iacocca’s tag line when he was CEO of Chrysler in the 1980s and also served as the line’s main spokesperson in TV commercials. I suspect this is where the Simpsons got it. But your basic premise is right, as is true with most TV production, unless you’re in on the joke, most catch phrases go over the heads of the majority of viewers (e.g., Krusty’s statement on the Simpsons). I guess this is why they have to put in laugh tracks in most sitcoms.
Comment // April 3rd, 2006 // 2:25 pm
I didn’t realize that was their old tag line. I can see why it was retired, it’s not a very good one.