Would you buy a car from Ron Burgundy? Chrysler thinks so

Published October 18, 2013 at 12:04 am

October 18, 2013 – Will Ferrell has re-donned his 1970s stache and polyester suit to portray the hapless news anchor Ron Burgundy in “Anchorman 2.” But, the most interesting thing to happen so far with the film is its advertising campaign.

A few commercials have already aired with Ron Burgundy explaining why viewers should buy the Dodge Durango.

“As one might expect, Will Ferrell is more than funny as Ron Burgundy – the anchorman that can be described as a buffoon with bravado,” wrote Business Insider contributor Ira Kalb. “In one spot, he lectures a horse about being inferior because it has only ‘one horsepower’ compared the Durango, which has ‘360 horses’ under the hood.”

Kalb later added that the spot will likely encourage viewers to buy tickets to “Anchorman 2.” However, he said that the more important question was, will it sell the Dodge Durango?

According to Kalb, there are pros, such as comedy being an attention-grabbing factor and that the video has huge viral potential. Even so, the drawbacks include the fact that the actual selling points of the Durango are not made clear. Additionally, there could be “guilt by association,” as Ron Burgundy “is a buffoon that does not know much about cars or anything else for that matter.”

A Forbes contribution piece also hailed the ad campaign, calling the collaboration between Chrysler and the movie “interesting.” It’s a smart movie promotion, the news source added, as the 70 total ads that will eventually come out are going to act as a non-trailer to the movie.

Just how successful will this marketing campaign end up being? No one really knows yet, but depending on the type of audience your company is aiming to draw in, cross-promotional approaches through various mediums can be beneficial.

But, either way, stay classy San Diego. Er, and, all the rest of the country too.