Chrysler Deploys Interactive for Crossfire

To support the launch of its Crossfire sports coupe, Chrysler this week rolled out an ad campaign that liberally employs interactive techniques, including banner ads, a newly developed Web site, a CD-ROM and a TiVo Showcase promotion.

The strategy for the Crossfire campaign is a further indication that Chrysler, a division of Daimler Chrysler , is increasing its commitment to interactive marketing. Last month, the company highlighted its Million Dollar Film Festival promotion by featuring contestants’ films on its Web site, echoing BMW’s much lauded BMWFilms.com site.

The Crossfire Web site, at www.chrysler.com/crossfire, is the centerpiece of Chrysler’s Internet strategy with this latest effort. The site features close-up pictures of the sleek vehicle, Flash motion graphics accompanied by explanatory narration, and interactive features such as a virtual tour.

Driving traffic to the site is the aim of the banner ad campaign, which is running across AOL, MSN, Yahoo! and WSJ.com. A sponsorship on the Kelley Blue Book home page leads visitors to a mini-site featuring much of the same imagery as can be found on the Chrysler Web site, along with the campaign’s tagline: “Dreamed in America. Crafted in Germany.”

“Blanketing the Internet is ideal for reaching the tech-savvy, affluent consumers who are interested in the Crossfire,” said Bonita Stewart, director of Chrysler brand communications. “In a similar Internet blanket earlier this year, the number of daily visits to chrysler.com nearly tripled because of visitors who had clicked over from the Chrysler ads on MSN and other portals.”

The online portion of the campaign is complemented by a CD-ROM which will be distributed as part of a fold-out ad appearing in the August issues of Wired, GQ, and Automobile magazines, along with the July 21 issue of Fortune.

The CD features include the history of the Chrysler brand, a 360-degreee viewing of the Crossfire, videos, vehicle specifications, and hotlinks to the dealer locator, along with the music of Celine Dion, Chrysler’s spokes-singer.

The most forward-thinking part of Chrysler’s approach is a spot on TiVo’s Showcase, where video about the vehicle will be available on demand for the service’s subscribers.