Michelle Ventura Professor Verret CM 416 January 23, 2013

Company Overview

The Chrysler Group LLC’s core brands include Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge, and Ram.

Established in 2009, when the economy was still failing, the historic Chrysler car corporation

came uncomfortably close to liquidation. Surviving solely on a government bailout, new CMO

Olivier Francois gave the corporation hope and direction by revamping the brand’s image

through a new marketing strategy. Today, Chrysler has a market share of 11.2 percent, the fourth

largest in the automotive industry; General Motors leads the automotive industry with 18.1

percent followed by Ford with 15.7 percent and Toyota with 14.3 percent.1 More important,

however, is that Chrysler has consistently surpassed its competitors in increasing company sales

each year. In addition, in a market that only grew by 13.4 percent in 2012, Chrysler

outperformed the industry with a 20.6 percent increase in domestic sales.2

Marketing Strategy

Chrysler Corporation’s success is attributed to the development of a new brand

personality, one that engages audiences through emotional appeal. Rather than producing

traditional automotive advertising that highlights vehicle attributes, Chrysler focused on telling a

compelling story that would captivate and resonate with U.S. consumers. The automaker realized

that they had something in common with Americans: they were both reinventing themselves.

With the help of Eminem in 2011 and Clint Eastwood in 2012, the company aired television

advertisements during the Super Bowl that delivered hope and instilled pride in Americans.3 The

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commercials won Effie Awards, gathered millions of YouTube hits and exponentially increased

interest in the automotive brand.

The brand continued to produce unique, impactful advertisements, but in a more

lighthearted, quirky manner as seen in the 2013 Dodge Dart Commercial “How to Change Cars

Forever”. In addition, they attracted consumers by producing quality vehicles with innovative

technologies like integrating Pandora radio and eco-friendly advancements like increasing miles

per gallon. In addition, a strategic marketing campaign focused on effectively utilizing the

corporation’s digital presence, in addition to promoting eccentric “car registries” complements

the automaker image.

Recommendations

Moving forward Chrysler Corporation will continue to be successful if they stay true to the brand

image they have created. To ensure integration, the automaker must connect and continually

engage with the consumer across all platforms. The quirky personalities created for the cars are

alluring and captivating because consumers are presented with unexpected mini-stories. Looking

at the past commercial successes, the marketing strategy should focus on finding emotional

connection with potential buyers. Chrysler is not the biggest automotive dealer in the United

States and they do not make the best cars; consequently, the brand image must be a strong factor

for attracting the potential buyer.

To implement the emotional strategy, one possibility is for Chrysler Corporation to

utilize their social media networks more often and effectively. For example, the quirky

personality of the Dodge Dart commercial could manifest itself into a personality on

Twitter/Facebook that would feature consistent content that engages the consumer. Moving in

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that direction, the automaker has recently refreshed their digital marketing by offering

compensation for dealers who increase response time and customer retention rates online. With

innovative ideas and quirky personality, Chrysler Corporation should have no problem

surpassing the competition.

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1 Auto Sales Market Data Center. Wall Street Journal. 03 Jan. 2013. Web. 10 Jan. 2013.

<http://online.wsj.com/mdc/public/page/2_3022-autosales.htm>.2 Vlasic, Bill. "Chrysler Pauses to Mark an Unlikely Comeback." The New York Times. N.p.,

14 Jan. 2013. Web. 10 Jan. 2013. <http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/15/business/chrysler-pauses-

to-mark-an-unlikely-comeback.html>.3 Klara, Robert. "Chrysler Comeback Kid Is Adweek's Grand Brand Genius ." Adweek. N.p.,

28 Nov. 2012. Web. 12 Jan. 2013. <http://www.adweek.com/news/advertising-branding/chrysler-

comeback-kid-wins-adweek-honor-145498>.

References

Auto Sales Market Data Center. Wall Street Journal. 03 Jan. 2013. Web. 10 Jan. 2013.

<http://online.wsj.com/mdc/public/page/2_3022-autosales.htm>.

Klara, Robert. "Chrysler Comeback Kid Is Adweek's Grand Brand Genius ." Adweek. N.p., 28

Nov. 2012. Web. 12 Jan. 2013. <http://www.adweek.com/news/advertising-

branding/chrysler-comeback-kid-wins-adweek-honor-145498>.

Vlasic, Bill. "Chrysler Pauses to Mark an Unlikely Comeback." The New York Times. N.p., 14

Jan. 2013. Web. 10 Jan. 2013. <http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/15/business/chrysler-

pauses-to-mark-an-unlikely-comeback.html>.