Thursday, Apr. 30, 2009
Marketing Mess
Lee Iacocca's "New Chrysler" ads were partly credited for the company's '80s comeback, which makes Chrysler's series of poor marketing decisions around the turn of the century all the more baffling. First, DaimlerChrysler retired the popular and iconic Pentastar logo shortly after the merger of the companies (the logo would return once the companies split). Then, taking a page straight from Iacocca's book, CEO Dieter Zetsche starred in a series of head-scratching "Dr. Z" ads that left most people wondering whether the man was fictional or not. Things only worsened after a 2007 Dodge Nitro ad, quickly pulled off the Internet, depicted the truck electrocuting a dog to death.
Whatever happened to "If you find a better car, buy it"?