Dodge: 100 Years

For those who watched the Super Bowl on February 1st, how awesome was that last-minute win? Before I get into talking about the game, I also want to note out the obvious fact that what was just as entertaining as the game were the commercials. Being that the Super Bowl ads are a crucial part of this event, this year proved no different.

It was really cool to see Walter White back on TV, Liam Neeson get angry on some online gamers, and Pierce Brosnan be offered the "perfect getaway" by a movie executive (I still don't know what Kim Kardashian was doing). The commercial that stuck out to me the most though was the commercial that Dodge released for their 100th anniversary. If you are not familiar with it, here it is:

When I was in my Social Media Marketing & Communication class this past Wednesday, we reviewed the marketing tactics of several brands, including those of L.L. Bean in their "100 Year" commercial. This commercial uses elements like nostalgia and product reliability to not only promote the brand, but to point out that these products have survived whatever obstacle was thrown at them and prevailed at the top of their class for a century. The Dodge commercial aims at using theses same tactics for their commercial. 

The commercial contains centenarians (people that are 100 or more years old) dropping some wisdom. As simple as it sounds, wisdom is a valuable thing that we all hope to achieve through life experiences and to me the most credible knowledge; and who is more full of wisdom than the elderly? 

The icing on the cake is that the wisdom that these elderlies are sharing are to live life to it's fullest extent. They tell us to do things like "put the pedal to the metal", "live fast", "don't bitch", and "never ever forget where you came from". Having an elderly person tell you to grab life by the horns is not really expected, but for that reason it works very well for this commercial. 

This tactic of promoting is effective in having present Dodge owners feel a sense of satisfaction for contributing to the history and success of this brand and also ensure their loyalty to the brand. Also, this specific commercial will convince newcomers that Dodge has been, still is, and will always will be the brand that one can rely on and has the wisdom of 100 years to prove it. Having this commercial be broadcasted at any other time wouldn't have done much for the brand, but because it played during a huge event like the Super Bowl, the majority of America got to see it and form their opinions (wether they like Dodge or not). With 15 million hits on YouTube and counting, this commercial is sure to go down in history as one of the most memorable commercials of the Super Bowl.