Chrysler 300 for 2009—Now with more room and cupholders for dissidents.

Saw this spot on Facebook from CDNY and was a little stunned. Not because of the theme, but, because they would try it at this time in the industry. Sure, recognizing the imprisonment of someone like Aung San Suu Kyi is a nice thing to do, but isn’t it undermined by the fact that you’re selling a car on the back of her imprisonment?

This isn’t just a nod to the troops that Bud does from time to time between the hi-larry-tee. It’s a move healthy brands can afford—maybe. (Or even if it’s part of their brand DNA, like say a Benetton.) But last I looked, neither of those conditions apply to Chrysler or GM.

This may be a stretch, but I liken it to chief marketing officers or CEOs like Chrysler’s Oliver Francois who want some grand theme for their brands. They just have to make their mark some way. In effect though, it almost becomes about them, not the brand, especially when they bail in 18 months with a golden parachute when things don’t work out. Again.

Noble cause though? Yes:

“The 30-second film was initially created as part of the Lancia brands sponsorship of the 10th World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates in Berlin Nov. 10-11, 2009, for which the theme was "Knocking down new walls and building bridges for a world without violence. The timing of the summit also coincided with the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. The film first aired in Europe on Nov. 12.”

But at the risk of seeming insensitive, aren’t there are a lot more problems closer to home that fit better with the brand? When an industry forces the close of an entire agency, or keeps repeating the same style of advertising, or has to go to the government for bailout money, maybe ad bloggers are right more often than not when they suggest a different approach.

The actual spot? Whatever. The soundtrack is overwrought, hitting a tone straight out of a Rocky sequel. Unless it’s from an actual moving video, the Nelson Mandela backdrop appears to be animated oddly. Borrowed government money—borrowed interest: Looks like they emptied out Getty images’ world leader section.

I’d rather see a simple black screen with elegant type if you want to call attention, and why not put the Your Face for Freedom url larger and more prominently where you could actually read it?

This move might be truly innovative if the other issues GM and Chrysler face were dealt with first. Instead, y’all are partying like it’s 1999. To parasteal a comment to an article I saw a few days ago about GM’s Lutz:

“While you guys make ads like this with cars nobody wants: See Honda.”

Admittedly, the product has improved this decade, but GM and Chrysler are acting like Mission Accomplished and it’s 30 years ago. I go back to this: Politically-themed spots won’t make a certain portion of your potential customers forget that you took bailout money, no matter how many exotic locals you shoot in. But hey, what do I know. Ad bloggers aren’t thrown tons of money repeatedly to produce spots and cars nobody wants.