3 Automakers Unveil New Campaigns For 1998

Mitsubishi, General Motors and Chrysler all break campaigns this month touting their respective new models. The lighthearted tone of Mitsubishi Motor Sales of America's previous advertising is raised a notch with some full-fledged sight gags in its new national factory advertising. The first of four new TV spots in the estimated $100 million campaign breaks today from G2 in Huntington Beach, Calif. One spot, for the 1998 Montero Sport, depicts three macho cowboys riding to work in the sport utility vehicle. A voiceover states, "It's the rugged SUV--with the smooth ride." The cowboys then begin applying makeup, and one asks another, "Hey, can I borrow your eye pencil?" At the end of the spot, the viewer learns that the cowboys are in fact rodeo clowns. The themeline for the campaign remains, "Built for living." A second spot breaks at the end of this month. It features a groom running late for his wedding who heads out in the sporty Eclipse. Stuck in traffic, he spies a Montero Sport and jumps in with a driver willing to take him off-road. Deciding he cannot arrive at the wedding in the dirt-splattered Montero, he catches a ride with a woman in a Diamante luxury sedan, only to end up at the wrong church. G2 will break ads devoted to the Diamante in February and the Eclipse in late March, said David Stickles, agency president. Mitsubishi, which saw a 3.4 percent increase between January and November last year in the number of vehicles it sold, spent more than $119 million on ads from January to September of last year, according to Competitive Media Reporting. GM's four new spots from McCann-Erickson in Troy, Mich., reposition the Buick brand as unpretentious but slightly luxurious nonetheless, said Karen Ebben, Buick marketing services manager. The ads also feature a new tagline: "Isn't it time for a real car?" The spots, currently in production, target family-oriented baby boomers who are looking for a vehicle to symbolize their accomplishments in a responsible, understated way, Ebben said. The previous advertising, which for the last two years has been model-specific, touted product quality. The old tagline, "Premium American motor cars," had primarily been used in print ads. The estimated $15-20 million campaign will break early this month. Chrysler is hoping to change consumers' perception of its brand with a new spot breaking on Jan. 11. Consumers still see the "K cars" of the 1980s when they think of the brand, said Marty Levine, general manager of the Chrysler/Plymouth/Jeep division. The commercial, from Bozell Worldwide in Southfield, Mich., reintroduces the winged Chrysler medallion first used in 1924. (The medallion will reappear on all Chryslers this year.) The spot, set to ethereal music, features a montage of winged objects, such as butterflies and airplanes, intertwined with Champagne-colored Chryslers. A voiceover says that "for ideas to take flight they must have wings." Two new cars star in the spot: the 1999 300M and LHS. The spot also shows off the restyled Concorde. The "Engineered to be great cars" tag, introduced last fall, is retained. "Perception is reality in this business," said Levine, referring to the new brand push. Chrysler has not done any brand advertising in several years, Levine said. "Some of our biggest volume successes of the '80s are some of our biggest image obstacles of the '90s." Spending on the campaign was undisclosed.

Brand Marketing

3 Automakers Unveil New Campaigns For 1998

Teresa Buyikian

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Teresa Buyikian