Dodge pulls New Girl and The Office stars for new Dart spots

Wed, 06 Aug 2014

Dodge is hoping that a heavy dash of humor helps it move some more units of the Dart with a hilarious ad campaign called Don't Touch My Dart. The spots star actors Craig Robinson, best known for his role as Darryl on The Office, and Jake Johnson from New Girl as neighbors and friends playing a game of one-upmanship over Robinson's new car. Johnson is envious of the ride and just wants to touch it.

The ads are pretty funny if you're a fan of somewhat absurdist humor, and Robinson has just the right amount of over-the-top seriousness to really make the commercials work. They have kind of a Roadrunner and Wile E. Coyote vibe with Johnson constantly in inept pursuit of what he wants, but he clearly isn't getting it.

The first four spots in the campaign are already online, but according to Dodge this is just the beginning. The company says that it's planning about 24 different versions of these ads in various lengths to play on TV and online. You can check out the ads titled First Scratch, Birdhouse Police Garage Door and Voice Touching below, along with the brand's release about the new ads. There's also a pretty good gag on its YouTube page with Robinson protecting his Dart.

Comedians and Actors Craig Robinson and Jake Johnson Star in New Advertising Campaign for the Dodge Dart

Humorous 'Don't Touch My Dart' campaign tells story of a neighbor's pride and respect for his new Dodge Dart, and his friend's relentless desire to touch it

Nearly two dozen broadcast and digital spots of varying lengths will air, including several running on CollegeHumor.com through an exclusive partnership

Campaign kicks off this week with spots airing on major networks as well as online at www.DontTouchMyDart.com

August 5, 2014 , Auburn Hills, Mich. - Comedians and actors Craig Robinson ("Hot Tub Time Machine 2," "Mr. Robinson" and "The Office") and Jake Johnson ("New Girl" and "Let's Be Cops") team together for the first time in a new Dodge Dart advertising campaign called "Don't Touch My Dart," that launches this week.

Using trademark Dodge brand humor and attitude, the campaign follows two neighbors - Robinson, who owns a new Dodge Dart, and Johnson, who wishes he did. Throughout the broadcast and digital videos, the playful duo act out a storyline of pride, respect and envy. Robinson is happy for his friend Jake to look at his car and talk to him about it, but the moment Jake tries to touch it, Robinson becomes very protective, quipping "Don't touch my Dart."

"For the youthful mindset that is our Dart target, we will share fun and engaging stories about a highly protective Dart owner and the untouchable status of his prized possession, his beautiful new Dart," said Olivier Francois, Chief Marketing Officer, Chrysler Group LLC. "Throughout each chapter in the story the audience will learn about Dart's key product advantages and innovative features. At the end of the day our objective is to educate, drive awareness and ultimately support sales. Craig (Robinson) and Jake (Johnson) deliver that while maintaining the essence of the Dodge brand spirit, character and full-of-life attitude."

Nearly two dozen variations of 5-second TV billboards and 15- and 30-second commercials were created for broadcast and digital use. The first 30-second spots, "Garage Door – Mmmm," "First Scratch – Too Precious" and "Voice Touching," begin airing this week on CBS' "Mike and Molly" and "Under the Dome" (Aug. 4), ABC's "NY Med" (Aug. 7), NBC's "America's Got Talent" (Aug. 10) and at www.DontTouchMyDart.com.

The debut television spots include:
"Garage Door – Mmmm": In the campaign's introductory spot, no one can touch Craig Robinson's new Dodge Dart. Not even his best friend/neighbor, Jake.

"First Scratch –Too Precious": Some people say that you can't enjoy your new car until you get the first scratch out of the way. In this spot we learn Craig Robinson is not one of those people.

"Voice Touching": This spot attempts to answer the age-old question: "Can you touch a car with your voice?" as Robinson accepts an incoming call from Jake on the Dart's 8.4-inch Uconnect touchscreen media center.

Additional spots will roll out in the coming weeks and air on various network and cable entertainment, sports and news programs. Dodge also is partnering with CollegeHumor.com for exclusive airing of several "Don't Touch My Dart" ads that are suitable for a more mature audience.

Later in the month, DontTouchMyDart.com will transform into an interactive YouTube experience where people will find out first-hand what happens when they try to touch Craig Robinson's brand new Dodge Dart.

Some of the spots feature original music composed by Robinson.

The campaign was created in partnership with Portland, Ore.-based independent advertising agency, Wieden+Kennedy.

About Dodge Dart
The Dodge Dart redefines performance with an agile, fun-to-drive experience, compliments of its Alfa Romeo roots. It's crafted with high-quality materials and loaded with state-of-the-art technology and class-leading safety features. The Dart GT model builds on that foundation and offers attributes compact car buyers appreciate, such as a 2.4-liter engine with 184 horsepower, a sport-tuned suspension, available hyper black 18-inch aluminum wheels, along with class-exclusive features like an 8.4-inch Uconnect touchscreen media center and LED racetrack taillamps. The Dart provides drivers with the ultimate combination of power, efficiency, technology and style, all for a starting U.S. MSRP of just $16,495 (excluding $995 destination). It is built in the United States in the Chrysler Group's Belvidere Assembly Plant in Belvidere, Ill.

About Dodge
The Dodge brand is tearing into its centennial year as America's mainstream performance brand, celebrating its 100th anniversary on July 1, 2014. With the purification of the brand and consolidation with SRT, Dodge is getting back to its performance roots with every single model it offers. The consolidated Dodge and SRT brands will offer a complete lineup of performance vehicles that stand out within their own segments. Dodge will be the "mainstream performance" brand within the Chrysler showroom. SRT will be positioned as the "ultimate performance" halo of the Dodge brand, together creating a complete and balanced performance brand with one vision and one voice.

From muscle cars to compact cars, minivans, crossovers and full-size SUVs, the Dodge brand's full lineup of 2015 models deliver best-in-class horsepower, class-exclusive technology, unmatched capability and a slew of cool features, such as LED headlamps, Dodge signature racetrack tail lamps, dual exhaust, 8.4-inch touchscreen infotainment centers and 7-inch thin-film transistor (TFT) customizable gauge clusters, to name a few. For the 2015 model year, customers will be able to drive the new 2015 Dodge Charger and Challenger, as well as the Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat. The Dodge brand lineup also includes the 2015 Dodge Dart, Durango, Grand Caravan and Journey, including the new Crossroad model, and Dodge Viper SRT.

By Chris Bruce