Chrysler unveils first-ever SRT advertising blitz

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Auburn Hills, Michigan, June 14, 2013: The SRT (Street & Racing Technology) Brand is debuting its first-ever advertising campaign this summer to celebrate the legacy of its world-class performance vehicles: The Charger, Challenger, Viper, Grand Cherokee and the 300. The “Body and Soul” campaign launched on Saturday, June 8, with 30-, 60-, and 90-second spots across cable television, and continues throughout summer.

“We wanted to infuse our first-ever SRT creative campaign with grit, beauty, longing, desire and nostalgia for the tradition and history of the automobile but to also give a nod to the relationship between the machine and its maker,” said Olivier Francois, Chief Marketing Officer, Chrysler Group LLC. “The Charger, Challenger, Viper, Grand Cherokee and 300 are inextricably linked not only to those who build the machines but to those who dream one day of owning one.”

“‘Body and Soul’ personifies the connection that owners feel with their vehicle; it’s that feeling of when you get behind the wheel and step on the throttle for the first time and feel the power of the engine. It’s that feeling and legacy that Chrysler Group has forged with owners and their vehicles over the last century; something that SRT brand is creating with a new set of consumers for the first time,” said Ralph V. Gilles, President and Chief Executive Officer – SRT Brand and Motorsports, Chrysler Group LLC. “The launch of this campaign marks a significant step forward for us and establishes the SRT brand’s legacy as a vital component of our company.”

The 30-, 60- and 90-second “Body and Soul” spots start with a nostalgic nod as footage flashes from the late ’60s/early ’70s and children are crammed in a station wagon’s backseat on a long distance road-trip, parents with map in hand. It jumps to a kid wearing glasses in line at the DMV and teens cruising along Main Street on a Friday night. Scenes cut to show a young boy at an outside diner and invokes that the average 16-year-old boy in America would rather have his own set of wheels than make out with the captain of the varsity cheerleader squad.

The spot thereby seeks to answer the question: How can we desire a machine more than a human being? Close-ups of steel, carbon fiber, aluminum, and other elements are seen, which form into axles, chassis, frames and pushes to close-ups of hands and tools bending and shaping materials. It conveys that “every machine has a body. It is up to the maker to breathe life into its creation. The machine is the echo of the maker’s soul.”

In addition to the 30-second, 60-second and 90-second spots, a special 2:15 extended version of “Body and Soul” has been posted on YouTube.com/driveSRT.

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