Spiller rolls out first U.S. work for Chrysler
January 7 2010, 7:57 am | | 44 Comments
As CB previously reported, Fallon Minneapolis now has the Chrysler business, and the first work is starting to roll out. Fallon handles mass media and will choreograph the brand idea across digital, sponsorship and promotional platforms.
Says Fallon Minneapolis’ Aussie chief creative officer, Darren Spiller, who joined from Mojo Australia in June: “Our aim is to do brave work that makes a difference. We are undaunted by the task ahead. We share the same ambitions for Chrysler.”
44 Comments
Dull.
Predictable.
Generic.
About as brave as the Italian infantry.
The ad is wallpaper. Nice use of a the temper trap song
Impossible dream?
Dear Ben.
Crawl back into your cubicle.
The End
Its not the most original idea but its well executed. I take that over a poorly executed great idea any time.
Complete wallpaper, inspired by impossible dream. It’s like brave advertising without the brave part.
I thought the point advertising was to sell something, not to be the most daring.
To be honest I dont see the relevance in even posting work on sites like this one, full of disgruntled mid level ad people. Maybe if we all stopped trying to win insignificant awards and instead started making ads that are entertaining and actually sell the product there would be a purpose to what we do.
Andy:
I’ve always been of the opinion that it doesn’t matter if something has been done before, as long as you do it well. (Hopefully better)
Ad people seem to think that its all about the big idea. Thats rubbish. its all about the execution. This execution is good. im sure it will help Chrystler sell cars.
And most people dont care much about ads and they certainly dont care if its been done before.
Zzzzzzzzzz.
An emotional re-connection with Chrysler has just happened.
It has been missing for years.
Now all Chrysler has gotta do is make great cars.
Good stuff Fallon. No, great stuff Fallon.
Makes me want to buy the travel bag.
MD –
It’s clear you don’t place a great deal of importance on originality, but spare that for a second. I think the saddest part of what you’re saying is that it’s a very mediocre and old fashioned view of this industry. Not everything that is truly original is the most award winning or only done for award shows, and not everything that ‘sells’ has to be this beige.
Spare us all the speech about selling is what we do, unless this communication has single handedly saved Chrysler, which it hasn’t. The truth is, this just doesn’t have any kind of tension or momentum as a strategic concept…which means the execution, even if money has been spent on it, can’t salvage it from being another forgettable disruption on telly. And, respectfully, I disagree with you completely that it ‘doesn’t matter if something has been done’ as long as you too do it well. That’s just the kind of thinking that will make this industry even more irrelevant.
If execution is all that matters, you should work at a production company, not a very good one mind you, as I promise you they’d disagree on your view of execution being the end all and be all.
Congrats to fallon for winning the business, but let’s just be honest about when something is daring, brave and groundbreaking.
It’s inspiring opinion and discussion, so that’s a win already.
Listen MD, creative people care if it’s done before precisely because they don’t give a stuff if it sells cars or not. In fact selling cars is probably a rather unsavory by product of trying to make something innovative – if you’re creative that is. I realise this is very difficult for you to comprehend up there in your corner office. This blogs not for most people, not even business people, it’s for ad people… and by that I mean creatives Mr MD. These ads are snore boring and the VO guy sounds like the emperor of cheese-balls.
Andy ,you are a moron.
I liked it. A bit of fun.
Original? Nothing’s original, including the spot.
I reckon this spot was done pretty quickly after having won the business and may [or may not] be indicative of what’s to come.
I expect the real work will come when the model work starts rolling out.
I wish everyone a happy 2010.
Free of negativity. Full of positivity.
Free of whingeing, carping and anonymous rants. Free of cyber bullying.
Full of competiveness. But free of jealousy.
It’s really in our control.
Everyone who posts negative comments here is someone who drinks poison and hopes someone else dies.
Get over it. Be positive. Or blogs like this will be shut down to constructive comment forever.
Big brother is watching.
I thought it was pretty good. I flicked to the next one which was an ad for the Chrysler Town & Country (?) didn’t think the ad was as good but what a bloody impressive car. It’s got a poker table in the back! Holy Crap. It’s like the HomerMobile.
“It’s clear you don’t place a great deal of importance on originality, but spare that for a second. I think the saddest part of what you’re saying is that it’s a very mediocre and old fashioned view of this industry”
-It may be old fashioned but it is honest. I think we often forget that at best, our ads are not to much of an annoying interruption of something a lot more interesting. Most people dont like ads for a good reason – they interrupt. In my book, a good ad is an ad that at least some people finish without flicking the channel. This Chrystler ad had some good music and decent photography so I watched it all the way through. No matter how innovative or fresh a concept is, if it does not entertain no one will see it.
(At least for other creatives that read this blog)
“Listen MD, creative people care if it’s done before precisely because they don’t give a stuff if it sells cars or not. In fact selling cars is probably a rather unsavory by product of trying to make something innovative – if you’re creative that is. I realise this is very difficult for you to comprehend up there in your corner office”
-Dear anonymous. I am a creative. A fairly Senior one. What you explained is the problem, we make ads to win awards, not to service our (often annoying) clients that pay for it. How would you feel if your Dentist had the same work ethics?
Add to that that no one bar the people who make ads give a shit about these awards. I’ve come to the conclusion that working in advertising to make awesome innovative work is mostly pointless and will eventually depress you. I have decided to stay in advertising to make ads that hopefully people watch instead of changing the channel. While doing so i will do my very best to make a shitload of money and then blow it straight up my nose. : )
Average. I expected more.
Hey MD. Speaking as a creative person who has both won many awards made many clients extremely successful, your view of our industry and the creative people who work in it is incredibly shortsighted. I am sorry you have been exposed to people who don’t understand that what we do is meant to either in the short term or long term sell products but don’t lump me, a creative person, into that lot.
So, about this ad. For those that live under a rock, the American car industry is in absolute shambles. The fact this ad was made is a miracle in and of itself and good on Fallon for actually getting paid to make a car ad in these trying times.
Now, all that being said, this commercial is not going to help Chrysler’s plight one bit. I’m afraid the American people will see this and assume nothing has changed. Here is a big car brand paying lots of borrowed money to convince the American people they give a shit about them and their lives. If they really want people to believe them, they need to talk about what they are doing to improve, rather than talk about the history that got them where they are today.
And I’m sorry to go against you again MD but the fact this ad has been done and done and done within the automotive industry will only hurt it more. People in America want to feel the industry is changing, not repeating itself.
Well produced though!
Does anyone know where I can get a rear end universal ball joint for a ’66 Caddy?
Ad creatives: so hung up on being innovative at all costs, and solely focused on the opinions of fellow ad people. It’s like how cops date other cops – being happy in their own little world.
Punters: Don’t give a fuck about ad creatives or if an ad is original or innovative UNLESS it gets them talking to their friends or can be forwarded via email. All they care about is how the product will improve their life.
Perfect example is Best job in the world. While advertising types the world over frothed over this every chance they got, the average punter didn’t give a fuck about it until they saw the winner announced on TV… and even then they cared for a whole 2 minutes.
Sometimes I just like to step back, look at the advertising world around me and think “What a bunch of self-important knobs.” What other industry as a whole takes itself so laughably seriously based on the backslapping of our peers? It’s a bit of a joke really.
God I hate this site. I am never logging on again. All you people are pricks.
Don’t lump all people in advertising together, it’s just not accurate. There’s variety even on this board with MD saying he doesn’t care anymore because he’s dispirited, someone else saying it does matter whether or not something’s been done before, and others saying it’s all about the punters, and ad people are wankers. What no one is saying, is that this is great work. Let it go with that.
What’s the point of getting on here complaining about the state of an industry you’ve actively sought an opinion from by putting the work on the site? Toughen up.
Agree with Kate.
This site is assholes anonymous.
If you’re gonna drop comments like the ones above you should at least have the balls to give your name, company and position.
LOL MD, we’re all in advertising to make $$$ and to make $$$ you’ve got to win awards. Do you actually know anyone who ‘believes’ in advertising and isn’t also trying to sell you Amway?
If you are in fact an MD with a decent income and want to sell stuff, how about you get your company to pay people a decent wage straight up before some hot shot 6 figure creative starts dangling an award carrot in a Junior’s face.
If AWARD school has taught me anything, it’s to please those people who are judging you. In most of our cases, it’s the Cannes jury. Sorry.
That being said, I do love a good ad that entertains me as a consumer.
there’s the cog ad, then there is this ad. As far as i know the Japanese car industry isn’t fucked
3pm states:
“I wish everyone a happy 2010. Free of negativity. Full of positivity.”
Then goes on and says:
“Everyone who posts negative comments here is someone who drinks poison and hopes someone else dies….Big brother is watching.”
So you’re the positive guy huh? Hate to catch you on the negative day.
Oh, and happy 2010 to you too. May your glass be half full from now on.
Dear cas$h
I’m not an actual md. Md is just an alias I use here.
I never went to award school but I’m a creative. I was sent over from our London office recently.
I always wondered why australian advertising was below average in quality. Now that I’ve been here for a while I’m starting to understand and what you mentioned above is pretty much it in my opinion.
Creatives here make ads for adpeople, not for punters and that makes a lot of ads self indulgent and rather boring. (although original ironically)
most creatives went to the same school. (AWARD).
That’s probably not a good idea, especially if it’s true what you say: they teach you to make ads to impress judges.
That’s a similar problem to the one the Australian film industry has. They make movies for movie critics. No one else seems to like em tho.
It’s a pretty ad. That said you can sense the client’s influence throughout; in my experience Darren would’ve made it far better than this final cut, but there’s a great deal of tail wagging the dog in this. Not surprising.
Chrysler, focus on making interesting, worthy cars for this generation and the planet; leave ads to the Dazzler.
I totally agree with Kate, you are all a bunch of pricks.
I’m with MD,
I left the Australian ad industry and moved overseas for so many of the reasons spelled out above. The Australian ad industry has a myopic view and it just becomes boring after a while. As shown in another posting on the blog most of the talent leave Australia for better, more mature opportunities overseas (I’m referring to the guys from Mother, and of course there have been many more). Aussie ads are usually made up of too many in jokes, tit jokes, bum jokes or dick jokes. And the creative people have this holier than though opinion of themselves. No-one in the world even knows what an AWARD Award is. And AWARDSchool is a joke, it used to be great, when it charged about $200 and only accepted people who had never worked in advertising and had a limit of about 40 students. Now it’s just a money making machine (do the math for yourself, and don’t forget to add in Singapore, Bangkok and Malaysia).
The child like rants and continually slagging that happens on this blog makes me ashamed to even hold an Aussie passport. I check in on the CB blog once every blue moon in the hope that some level of maturity has emerged, but alas, it’s still a kindergarten.
Maybe if some of the big mouths on here would get the balls, or for that matter the folio & reel, and try to get a job in the US working on major brands with major budgets they would see the realities and the differences in working in such a big market as opposed to the tiny market that Australia is. A small TV budget here is $500,000USD (approx $575,000AUD), how many of your small TV spots there have a $575K budget? In a serious agency here you don’t get many briefs to do just a one off print ad, no, you get briefed to do major campaigns.
And as for the belief that awards get you a better job and more money, sorry my friend, you’ve missed the boat, that was in the 80’s and 90’s, it’s a different game now. I can only speak for agencies in the States but what they (and the agency I’m at) are looking for a truly creative people, people who can solve problems across all mediums, not just do a funny print ad with a set of retouched tits in it for Wonderbra. They want to see solid thinking, big ideas, the ability to create a platform for a brand…those abilities and talents get you the big bucks. Awards are recognized of course, but they are just icing on the cake. I know of one guy who was just appointed as the Chief Creative Officer of an agency here (that means big dollars) and he hasn’t picked up an award in some time. No, what he has done is build a solid career with all of the above mentioned points.
Anyway I may as well be talking to the wind as this blog will always be a soapbox for bar stool wannabes who talk it up big, but will never leave the comfy little cubicle they have downunder. But they will always be the first to slag off someone who had the guts and the talent to get on a plane and go and prove themselves.
Ok, now I’ll hand it over to the people playing in the sandbox for retaliation.
Jan 9, 6:17 AM
While I thought what you said was a little contradictory (patronising us for having ego’s while ranting about how good you are by proxy of working in the US) I do agree with a lot of your points.
In reality it’s just the convict blue-bloods vs the English officers, squabbling over three tots of rum and the 7.5 good looking women in this country that makes us such bitter little bitches.
my first comment 🙂
Dear Departed,
If a man has to wear fishnet stockings on his arms, mascara, skinny jeans and lots of hairspray to feel cooler than everyone else, he’s entitled to do it.
If a man has to slag the crap out of work because he’s obviously never made a big brand TVC in his life, so he can feel cooler than everyone else, he’s entitled to do it.
And we’re entitled to laugh at how fucking ridiculous they look.
Dear Departed.
You are my hero. Despite being ensconced in the high brow world of US advertising, you are still too scared to put a real name to your comments.
Your point about big budgets is totally stupid. It’s all relative. In a massively smaller market, a far smaller budget is just as critical.
And the claimed paucity of big ideas in Australia is hard to sustain as an argument when the biggest idea of last year came from an Australian agency.
For such a long post, there were very few compelling points.
How’s your depression going over there, by the way?
Hi Anonymous 9:44pm (strange name by the way, oh wait, you don’t want to put your name on this blog either, go figure).
Firstly, it’s a “recession” not a “depression”, get your facts right. And I’m doing just fine, still employed, still getting paid, still making ads, still going to the pub after work, thanks for asking. How about you?
What you failed to miss in my post was my point about senseless, uninformed and anonymous attacks on people who are actually giving it a go. Remember when giving it a go was the Australian spirit, now replaced by the jealousy of small poppy syndrome. And the fact that in a market as big as this it is a lot tougher, I’m sorry but after years of working in Australia and then years here I am qualified to compare. The budget reference was made due to that fact, when you are juggling huge budgets for major campaigns here you have no idea the machinations that go on, it is a vastly different game. So, my post was in defense of people such as Spiller and others who are actually giving it a go, who are at the coal face and getting stuff done, that in itself should be applauded and not slagged. When you walk past a busker at Circular Quay do you or your cohorts stand and slag him off for not executing a Crowded House song exactly as how you would expect it to be executed (actually, knowing the way Australia is these days you probably do). Or should you just acknowledge that the guy is at least giving it a go and doing something, not sitting on his arse and complaining about other people out there on tour making money and getting praise, no he is plying his trade and doing something.
Over to you for some “compelling points”, looking forward to them.
Yes the Best Job In The World was a big winner, great idea, shall I clear a space for which you can sit on your laurels comfortably? Did you do the idea in question? And no doubt there were people on this blog slagging it off for whatever reasons, I can almost guarantee it. The point is, no one comes off unscathed on this blog and it’s a shame.
It’s a nice looking TV commercial. Says we have history, we’re staying around and we’re not going broke (a point well made in the US car industry at the moment). I guess it does the job it was asked to do. Nothing more and nothing less.
The depression reference was intended as a tongue-in-cheek exaggeration. Sorry to offend your economic sensibilities.
Advertising is hard. I don’t care where you do it. You may have broader experience than me. I have never worked in the US. But to pretend that it is somehow infinitely more difficult than Australia is a bit far fetched, I reckon. How do you know how challenging my time in this game has been anyway? Easy with the generalisations!
Now, Spiller is infinitely more successful than me. No arguments. But I find the posting of this TVC on this blog arrogant. He and his mates have left the local industry to pursue new challenges in the US. Good for them. Posting his stuff on here has a ‘look at me’ element to it that I find a bit self-serving. At the very least, if he is going to do it, then I would expect the work to be awesome, which in this case it’s not.
It might be decent. On brief. On budget. Hard category. Tough client. All that. But it’s not awesome. It doesn’t take the category forward. It doesn’t set a new benchmark. It’s just OK.
I don’t live in Sydney (as you falsely assumed). However, when I walk past a busker, I wish them all the best. But they are not pretending that what they are doing is world-class or worthy of adulation beyond a single gold coin. Ex-pats posting work here is very, very different. Look at me. Look at me.
I’m going to go back to work now, trying to be the best possible creative I can be by coming up with big, integrated ideas. Hopefully, I will get them up. I’m sure it won’t be as hard as it would be if I was over in the US. Now, please, stick to your silly name and leave us the fuck alone.
Dear Anonymous 9:44pm, now know as Anonymous 10:23am (wish you would just stick to one name, this is getting confusing).
So, in reference to your “leave us the fuck alone”, I am assuming that you are now the voice of all in the Australian ad industry, well done on your promotion, hope you hit them up for a pay rise, that’s a big gig.
You have some definite criticisms for Spiller’s work, why not show him how it’s done? From your tone it’s obvious that you feel you can do much better, looking forward to seeing that work. Please be sure to post it here.
And sorry for assuming you lived in Sydney, I just used a landmark to get my point across, I’ll be sure to be politically correct next time and pick out spots in Sydney, Adelaide, Melbourne, Hobart, Brisbane, Perth, Canberra and Darwin, just to maker sure I don’t upset you. I may even throw in Newcastle as a wild card.
All the best.
Jeez you sure picked up an American accent pretty quick!
It has picked up the mood of America …
but … while the commercial is Democrats, Chrysler product is red-neck Republican.
Yes, it is a long road ahead.
Congratulations Fallon. This is great work in a very, very hard catergory.
There is nothing brave there.