http://www.jeep.com.au/special_offers/springbreaksale.html

Jeep, Dodge and Chysler are going down the novelty route at the moment, with their TV spots for “Spring Break” deals. Aside from the this being based on an American rather than Australian tradition, using that oh-so-fashionable background blur* that makes the product look like something Ken would pick Barbie up in, and repositioning themselves into the seedy world of Girls Gone Wild,** it’s a bad idea because – honestly – where can it go next??

Of course, there are loads of options should this be the strategic path that they’ve committed to tread. Phone box calling cards with a Jeep on the bed and a feather boa around the headlights…Melbourne Leader personal ads offering a “FREE full service (every 1,000 miles) – call now for IMMEDIATE satisfaction”…a late night TV spot advertising ‘fresh American muffler’…you get the idea…

But the powers-that-be are highly unlikely to go down this extreme (and controversial) route, and so the creatives have effectively painted themselves into a corner. They haven’t even had the decency to execute the campaign in a consistent way, with the website showing a short opening animation, and then moving straight into a products page that looks like it was taken straight out of the Tradie:

http://www.springbreaksale.com.au/home.html

Gone are the cheeky comments (header aside – but no new words there), gone are the seductive Miami graphics, gone is the entire “fun and carefree party animal” copy tone that is the very essence of the Spring Break benefit. Instead we’re reduced to mere feature descriptions, an excess of exclamation marks, and an inconsistent fit between how people think about the brand, how this advert is trying to position the brand, and how the company is likely to push the brand in the future.

* particularly favoured by Melbourne transport adverts for some reason
** “There’s no artificial enlargements here, only huge price reductions right across the eye-popping Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge range” – actual quote.