CreativityChrysler Celebrates Being American by Making You Think It’s German or JapaneseThe outside-in approachBy Gabriel Beltrone|October 29, 2014 ShareBy Gabriel Beltrone|October 29, 2014 Share How do you sell American cars in 2014? By tricking people into first thinking your goods are Japanese or German. Chrysler is launching a tongue-in-cheek campaign for its 200 model with TV ads featuring voiceovers that start in foreign languages, touting qualities commonly associated with cars built outside the U.S. Then, the narrators register faux shock that the car cruising across the screen is, in fact, a Chrysler. Reliability and performance are now "American things," the ads explain, in a bid to quickly to throw the brand's past self under the bus. Created with agency Wieden + Kennedy in Portland, Ore., the spots also feature scenery meant to cue foreign settings, like cherry blossoms and koi ponds for Japan (actually shot in Detroit) and a knockoff Autobahn for Germany (shot in Seattle). Chrysler is also promising a Swedish version focused on safety (filmed in San Francisco and Seattle). They're branded with the tagline "America's Import," also slapped on the Bob Dylan Super Bowl ad from earlier this year. It's a more explicitly patriotic evolution of the "Imported from Detroit" tagline introduced by Eminem's ad for Chrysler during the 2012 Super Bowl, and reinforced by Clint Eastwood's halftime ad the following year. But since it's apparently going for a mix of laughs and puffed-up American pride, it's really a shame there's no Anchorman movie about to come out—then the company could ride Ron Burgundy's coattails again. Credits below. CREDITS Client: Chrysler Project: "Ready to Take on the World" CMO, Chrysler Group, Fiat Group Automobiles, Head of Fiat Brand: Olivier Francois President and Chief Executive Officer, Chrysler Brand: Al Gardner Director, Head of Global Advertising, Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram: Marissa Hunter Head of Advertising, Chrysler Marketing: Melissa Garlick Chrysler Brand Advertising Specialist: Danielle DePerro Agency: Wieden + Kennedy, Portland, Ore. Creative Directors: Aaron Allen, Kevin Jones, Michael Tabtabai Copywriters: Smith Henderson, Brandon Davis ("Three Times" only) Art Director: James Moslander Producer: Bob Wendt Production Assistant: Julie Gursha Interactive, Social Strategy: Sarah Biedak Strategic Planning: Andy Lindblade Media, Communications Planning: Alex Barwick Account Team: Cheryl Markley, Lani Reichenbach, Jourdan Merkow Business Affairs: Dusty Slowik Project Management: Jane Monaghan Executive Creative Directors: Joe Staples, Mark Fitzloff Head of Production: Ben Grylewicz Production Company: Reset Director: Andrew Douglas Executive Producer: Jeff McDougall Line Producer: Betsy Oliver Director of Photography: Alwin Küchler Editing Company: Joint Editors: Matthew Hilber ("Japanese Quality," "German Performance"), Nicholas Davis ("Swedish Safety") Assistant Editors: Dylan Sylwester, Kristy Faris Post Producer: Leslie Carthy Post Executive Producer: Patty Brebner Visual Effects Company: Joint ("Japanese Quality" "German Performance – Autobahn" "German Performance – Three Times") Flame Artist: Katrina Salicrup Smoke Artist: Zack Jacobs Visual Effects Producer: Alex Thiesen Titles, Graphics: Brad Simon, W+K Studio Designer; Peiter Hergert, W+K Motion Designer Visual Effects ("Swedish Safety" only) Flame Artists: Simon Brewster, Andrew Eksner, Sarah Marikar, Katrina Salicrup Smoke Artist: Zack Jacobs Titles, Graphics: Brad Simon, W+K Studio Designer; Peiter Hergert W+K Motion Designer Song: "The Fire" – The Roots Mix Company: Joint Mixer: Noah Woodburn Producer: Alex Thiesen Adweek Adweek