Yes, that Ron Burgundy…
Dodge Durango’s sales have skyrocketed since the ads of Will Ferrell and Dodge joining forces to make his fictional character, Ron Burgundy the spokesman for the 2014 Durango. According to Dodge, web traffic for the brand has jumped an astonishing 80 percent, and that’s not all—Durango sales increased 59 percent in October, and are up 50 percent for the year.
The value of entertainment is just as important as the information delivered to the audience and can go a long way. When creating an advertisement, it should leave a positive, memorable impression on viewers long after the advertisement is seen. A lot of the Ron Burgundy ads are outrageously hilarious and veer off topic. He argues with a horse, or chases a pair of dancers off his stage, but strangely enough, they’re wildly successful.
Creating an advertisement that resonates with your core audience is one thing, but the Durango commercials aren’t just popular with car enthusiasts—they’re getting the attention of a wide audience, and they’re constantly being shared and redistributed across the web. The ads have done more than drive sales and give the Dodge website a massive traffic increase—they’re YouTube hits. The first ad, released on October 4th, has already racked up more than 2 million views, with the other four hovering around 1 million views apiece. Burgundy is a viral sensation.
Ron Burgundy has only been promoting the Durango for about a month, and he’s already made a huge measureable impact for both the brand’s visibility and its bottom line. The series of ad campaign also cleverly coincides with the release of Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues, which hits theaters next month, giving the film some serious exposure.
Opportunities for cross-promotion aren’t always easy to come by, especially because their success can be unpredictable—who would have thought that Ron Burgundy and SUVs would be such a natural fit? When an opportunity arises to partner with another brand in a cross-promotion, consider taking a chance on it. TriVision can also assist in creating a clever pitch that is compatible for the two brands. By helping each other reach complementary goals, two businesses can save money, gain access to valuable resources and reach a bigger audience.