Chrysler ads take on rivals

Automaker targets Asian consumers for the first time in Sebring campaign.

DaimlerChrysler

Chrysler kicks off ads Wednesday for its new Sebring, an important midsize car. See full image

Josee Valcourt / The Detroit News | AUBURN HILLS -- DaimlerChrysler AG's Chrysler Group is attempting to compete bumper-to-bumper with foreign rivals in the intense midsize sedan market with a far-reaching marketing campaign that promotes the redesigned Chrysler Sebring in Mandarin, Hindi and Korean language television spots.

The three Asian ads will air in New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco beginning in early December. They are part of a multi-media marketing blitz that begins Wednesday to launch the redesigned Sebring, a key vehicle that is even more critical to Chrysler as the automaker tries to restore profitability.

The new Sebring puts Chrysler back in a segment where it has been a nonfactor, said Jim Sanfilippo, an analyst with Automotive Marketing Consultants Inc. in West Bloomfield.

Sebring marketing has to be "clever, seamless and efficient" to have an impact, Sanfilippo said. At the same time, Chrysler has to be careful with its spending as it has to dole out marketing dollars for other new models.

The Sebring, which arrived on the market in 1995, hit an all-time sales high of 118,459 units in 2001 for the convertible, coupe and sedan versions combined. By 2005, sales had dropped 24 percent to about 90,000 units.

Chrysler is confident that the new Sebring, boasting a contemporary design and high-tech features such as cup-holders that heat and cool beverages, can compete in a segment where the Toyota Camry and Honda Accord are perennial top sellers.

"This is an extremely concentrated effort," said Susan Thomson, senior manager of Chrysler brand marketing. "It has all the pieces to it. We're cutting commercials in three different languages. We finally feel that we have a competitor. We have the right vehicle. There's no secret that the vehicles that are sold in this segment are predominately Asian."

In addition to marketing the new Sebring in Asian-language ads that will appear on TV channels targeting Asian viewers, Chrysler is also upping the ante on multicultural ads overall and making the car visible in a plethora of multi-media outlets.

The campaign incorporates podcasts and Internet games and will include plum ad placements on popular Web sites such as Amazon.com.

The automaker has also secured Sebring ads in national magazines such as People's "Sexiest Man Alive" issue in November and Time's annual "Person of the Year" cover, which hits newsstands in December.

The Sebring marketing strategy is part of the Auburn Hills-based automaker's game plan to build momentum. Sales of Chrysler brand vehicles are off 8.2 percent his year following record sales of nearly 650,000 units in 2005.

Sales of the flagship Chrysler 300 large car are flat this year and demand has dropped for the automaker's bread-and-butter Town & Country minivan as well.

"The Sebring is a very important vehicle for us," said David Rooney, director of Chrysler market and global communications.

Chrysler said earlier this year that it will spend more than $500 million on advertising in the second half of 2006 as it rolls out a record 10 new vehicles, including the Sebring.

The automaker did not say how much will be spent on the Sebring campaign, which kicks off Wednesday with a national television spot called "Wind Tunnel" that highlights interior features by showing a wisp of wind moving into the vehicle.

The automaker is targeting Asian consumers for the first time in the Sebring campaign because its research shows they are big buyers of foreign-brand sedans.

Although Asian buyers now account for less than 1 percent of Chrysler brand sales, convincing them that the Sebring is a worthy contender could help Chrysler win a bigger portion of the sedan market, which accounts for roughly 2 million of the average 17 million vehicles sold annually in the United States.

Saul Gitlin, executive vice president of strategic marketing services for Kang & Lee Advertising in New York, said Monday that automotive companies are the second-biggest spenders on Asian ads in the United States.