Auto firms bank on Super Bowl ad buzz

Chrysler's 'Born of Fire' commercial, which debuted during Super Bowl XLV, has been watched more than 14 million times on the company's official YouTube page. CHRYSLER Enlarge

Airtime in the precious moments away from the action during Sunday's Super Bowl costs more than ever this year, with the average 30-second spot going for $3.5 million. That works out to more than $116,000 per second. Even Goldman Sachs executives don't pull down that kind of dough.

But for the buzz those commercials generate, they're well worth the investment, ad watchers say.

Just look at Chrysler.

The automaker forged a hit last year with its "Born of Fire" commercial, which featured a black Chrysler 200 cruising past Motor City landmarks and launched the wildly successful "imported from Detroit" tag line. The two-minute spot gave a gritty, unvarnished view of Detroit while pointing to a hopeful return for both the city and the brand.

Since the ad aired, Chrysler sales have soared, and the video has been watched more than 14 million times on the company's official YouTube page.

"It was a defining moment for Chrysler," said Robert Kolt, an instructor in the Michigan State University's Department of Advertising, Public Relations, and Retailing. Mr. Kolt is one of about 20 faculty members who will gather Sunday to watch and rate each ad as part of an annual tradition at MSU.

How does Chrysler follow up on that? We won't know until sometime Sunday evening.

RELATED ARTICLES:

Ads to watch for

Culture Shock: Super Bowl ads are super appealing

"I can't tell you anything," Chrysler spokesman Dianna Gutierrez said politely when The Blade asked about the company's Super Bowl plans.

Chrysler's hushed approach goes against the emerging trend, which has been to tease early and often, relying on news reports and social media to drum up interest ahead of Sunday's game.

Audi, Lexus, General Motors, Pepsi, CareerBuilder, and many others have put clips or full ads online. (Included in those spots are Regis Philbin, vampires, and suited chimpanzees. We won't spoil it.)

Jay Leno, left, and Jerry Seinfeld appear in Honda Motor Co.'s first Super Bowl ad for the Acura NSX. The company recently posted an extended version of the television spot online. HONDA MOTOR CO. INC Enlarge

"For many advertisers the Super Bowl is no longer the opening act, it's the epilogue," said Jon Swallen, vice president of research for Kantar Media in New York City.

With at least 10 companies airing commercials, Mr. Swallen expects the automotive spots to be the most interesting battleground in the 2012 ad war.

Acura, making its first appearance as a Super Bowl advertiser, posted online an extended version of a spot featuring its upcoming NSX supercar. The video has comedian Jerry Seinfeld dredging up old characters from his show and zip-lining through Manhattan in an attempt to win rights to the first NSX. (Which he ultimately loses to a jet-packed Jay Leno.)

Volkswagen is sticking with the Star Wars theme it introduced last year, first posting a teaser featuring a chorus of canines barking the Imperial March and later showing an extended version of its game-day commercial that features a chubby dog getting in shape after seeing a Beetle zoom past its house. The end of the ad has a cantina full of Star Wars characters debating which commercial was better.

The German automaker had a big winner last year with an ad featuring a tot dressed as Darth Vader seemingly using "the force" to summon to life a Passat. Unbeknownst to the kid, Dad was inside with a remote starter.

"That car they talked about was not due to hit the lot until August. We probably had 50 to 100 people within three days to a week asking specifically about the Passat. I didn't even have any brochures to hand out on. All I could do was direct them to the site," said Adam Stockburger, the Volkswagen sales manager for Ed Schmidt Volkswagen in Perrysburg.

Mr. Kolt's group at Michigan State chose Volkswagen's commercial as the best last year, but said people should temper their expectations for this year's auto ads.

"If I were a betting man on the ads, I'd stick with the winners in the past, and it's beer and soft drinks," he said.

Still, he's expecting good things in the Chrysler spot, and in spite of the praise he heaped on others who are getting early mileage from their work, he's intrigued by the company's strategy.

"I actually think Chrysler might be thoughtful in this strategy," he said. "There's always mystery to the cloak and dagger. They're in a unique position to play the PR game as they are because of their success last year."

That ad was kept under wraps too.

Michael Barchick, vice president and general manager at Charlie's Dodge Chrysler Jeep in Maumee, said dealers watched with the same awe the public did when the "Born of Fire" spot hit the airwaves in the game's third quarter.

"I was really amazed not only by the commercial but by the impact," Mr. Barchick said. "It really made the sales of the Chrysler 200 take off. I believe it created a lot of awareness. It created hype, it got people into the showrooms to look at it, touch it, drive it, and see what a great car it really is."

Contact Tyrel Linkhorn at: tlinkhorn@theblade.com or 419-724-6134.