Dieter Zetsche (Dr. Z) - I think I've had enough...

[dd74]

Are you yet sick of Chrysler's chairman appearing in pithy TV commercials heralding the engineering of Chryslers? I admit I like the SRT8, but damn, out here in L.A., he's on TV almost every five minutes!

The man:


The SRT8 (said to have true Mercedes-Benz parts in it at about half the cost - and almost as good a car):


The good doctor in amateurish 2D flash.

My only question is when will Dr. Z appear at the Laugh Factory?

[fintstone]

Shades of Lee Iacoca. What a dork.

[widgeon13]

I actually saw him in back to back ads on the same major network and was thinking the same thing, what an idiot. Some billlion $ ad firm came up with this idea hoping to give American cars (Chrysler products) European credibility.

They should really use him as a safety dummy, that ad is actually false advertising if you think about it. Some dbag is going to go out and slam their new Dodge truck into a cement wall and file suit for damages because they weren't smiling after the impact.

Between Dr. Z and the $hit I get in the mail from Capital One, somebody is making a bundle but it's not these two companies. I'd love to see their ad budgets.

Don't worry, he'll get a big bonus at the end of the year and we'll be paying to bail out their retirement funds more than likely.

[Victor]

The car looks like a gay moustache on wheels. There is something wrong with that.

[rouxroux]

In our market they are running the ads back to back (same ad) during all of the local stations' AM news programs. I am SO tired of them. Let's see: "Chrysler invented the minivan?" uh, sorry.

And the soccer ball "header": I'd love to see someone with video editing skills make Zidane head-butt Dr. Z.

We've got a 3/4 ton Dodge van as a tow vehicle and like it, but I sure would not buy another Chrysler product on account of these ads.

[kaisen]

Yeah, I'm sick of the ads. And yeah, they're stupid.

But Dr. Dieter Zetsche is well respected, and a car guy at heart. He holds a doctorate in mechanical engineering, so he can't be a complete idiot.

The ads show him in a self-depricating light, perhaps trying to tie the technical prowess of Mercedes-Benz without scaring people with Germanic seriousness. The ads may do a good job of that, but it makes him look like a clown .... even worse than the chairman of Columbia sportswear.

I got the opportunity to meet Dr. Z five years ago in Detroit and I thought he was a real down to earth guy (he was driving a CL55).

Just drop the cartoonish antics in the TV spots.

E

[kaisen]

Originally posted by rouxroux
Let's see: "Chrysler invented the minivan?" uh, sorry.

Then who did?

[Tobra]

Ever see a Corvair van, or a VW microbus?

[widebody911]

Originally posted by kaisen
Then who did?

VW, 1949

And the first double-door buses - which Chrysler claims to have invented - came out in '53

[rouxroux]

And the "later" VW microbus and the Corvair buses took some cues from Harley Earl's GM "L'Universelle"...And I laughed when Chrysler said they had the 1st minivans with doors on BOTH sides....uh, no, wrong again. Check out the old Corvair 95...double doors on BOTH sides, could reconfigure the rear seats and put a picnic table between them.

But oh, I would LOVE to have a mint Rampside right now.

[wludavid]

Am I the only one who likes these ads!? He has more personality and camera presence than 90% of actors brought in to be commercial spokesman, and the guy's an engineer! What's not to love?

[Nathans_Dad]

I don't think the ads are so bad. Car ads in general are bad...I don't see how this is any worse than watching the "Like a Rock" Chevy truck ads...

They aren't as good as the VW in Da House ads, but that was a rare stroke of genius...

[Moneyguy1]

Making "fun" of one's product or shortcomings is a known positive in marketing.

Think of the founder of Wendy's (I really miss Dave...) Or Orville, or any number of spokespeople....

[dd74]

Originally posted by Wayne at Pelican Parts
I think they're somewhat clever in nature.

You guys who are tired of seeing them need TiVo!

-Wayne

Sure there's an appeal. It destroys the Teutonic image of an uptight German - which Zetsche isn't - he's Turkish - and plays down to the "I could care less Americans" watering their lawn and at soccer practice.

That's what's annoying - Dr. Z makes a formidable ass of himself at his own expense - and what do we learn? That as consumers, we look like we could care less. The commercials really don't bring out the enthusiast in me. I think they sort of talk down to me. The minivan crash test spot is awful; VW has it down better with their actual victims in a crash spots.

On another note the Porsche Turbo Cayenne commercial at the kids' party with the sad clown is brilliant!

[Rot 911]

I like them.

[rouxroux]

Well, when you put it that way, I guess he IS a bit easier to take than Snoop Doggie Dog & Lee Iacocca playing golf....

Sheesh..."Zat thing got a hemi?"

[sammyg2]

The adds suck.
I don't need tivo, I just change channels and watch something else.
Hear that TV guys? You sell add space and put obnoxious adds on TV we watch a different channel and you loose viewers.

Someone slap these guys up the side of their heads so it sinks in please.

Same on the radio. If I hear the very beginning of a sit-and-sleep commercial on the radio i instantly change the channel and don't go back unless all the other channels play stupid obnoxious commercials too. I decided to buy as new mattress a few years ago, I went to all the local places to shop around except for you know where. I didn't even bother checking out their prices because I hate their stupid commercials.

I wish I had one of them nielson ratings jobs, I'd show em.

[Moses]

I have TIVO. I can't remember the last time I watched a commercial.

[dd74]

Originally posted by SoCal911SC
I wonder who the demographic is?

American car buyers who secretly want to buy a German car?

German car buyers who are going to be convinced to buy a Chrysler because it has some German (or "German inspired") parts on it?

Don't wonder too hard. I see new Chryslers everywhere on the road - at least they're not threatening to go belly up like GM despite all their boring ads. I mean, how many times can you rewrite that "Like a Rock" song?

The German engineering stuff is probably just stuff to many Chrysler owners, but I'm sure there are a few who take Dr. Z's word with earnest.

The commercial with Herr Doctor holding the entire rear suspension of a Chrysler 300 is impressive, if by weight of the assembly alone.

So who'd buy it because of German engineering? My guess is people who don't want to afford a Mercedes. Or people who are too American to buy a foreign car. People who don't like status symbols.

The list goes on if you think reasonably about it.

[89911]

The SRT8 (said to have true Mercedes-Benz parts in it at about half the cost - and almost as good a car):


The problem to me is that Mercedes-Benz cars have Chrysler parts in them for twice the price!