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Paramount has launched a multifaceted marketing partnership with Dodge in connection with its upcoming Anchorman sequel, including a series of commercials in which lead character Ron Burgundy (Will Ferrell) promotes the automaker’s 2014 Durango.
Paramount claims that the partnership marks the first time a movie studio and brand tie-in has used starring talent, in character, to create original long- and shortform content.
The campaign will include co-branded promotional advertising content across TV, print, digital and social media.
“This campaign was an unprecedented opportunity to collaborate with our filmmakers to create new original content and distribute it worldwide in advance of the long-awaited Anchorman sequel release this December. With the personal involvement of Will Ferrell, our writer-director Adam McKay, the comedy team at Funny or Die and the Dodge creative team at Wieden+Kennedy, we were able to create a truly epic partnership,” Paramount CMO Josh Greenstein said in a statement.
In the commercials, Burgundy promotes the car using his trademark blend of bravado and cluelessness.
In one ad, Burgundy compares the Durango’s 360 horsepower to a horse, “with one horse power.”
“That makes you feel pretty dumb, doesn’t it?” he asks the horse.
STORY: ‘Anchorman 2’ Poster Makes a ‘Big Deal’ Out of Burgundy’s Moustache
In another, Burgundy illustrates the spaciousness of the Durango’s glove compartment, claiming “it comfortably fits two turkey sandwiches or 70 packs of gum!”
Four ads are currently online, after beginning to appear on the web and TV on Saturday. (Watch those clips below.)
Another ad will debut on Monday night’s Dancing With the Stars, in which Burgundy walks alongside the vehicle with ballroom music playing in the background. Burgundy then repeatedly chases off a dancing couple, at one point yelling, “Hey, get out of here you dumb dancers! I told them 100 times they can’t dance in here.”
Dodge Brand CEO Tim Kuniskis explained the similarities between Burgundy and Durango in a statement: “Just as Ron Burgundy is kind of a big deal, the 2014 Dodge Durango also stands out in a crowd with its combination of best-in-class power, towing and fuel economy, in addition to its class-exclusive technology.”
STORY: ‘Anchorman’ to be ‘Kind of a Big Deal’ With Newseum Exhibit
Additional ads will roll out in the coming weeks, all of which can be viewed on Dodge’s YouTube channel and Ferrell and McKay’s comedy website Funny or Die. The commercials will also run on ESPN, Comedy Channel, E! Entertainment Television, FX, Esquire Network, MLB Network, MTV, NBC Sports, Spike, TBS, TNT, Travel Channel, Discovery Channel, USA Network, Animal Planet, Adult Swim, Food Network, Nick at Nite, Science Channel, Big Ten Network and AMC, among other outlets.
Social media initiatives will include a Ron Burgundy Pinterest board, Twitter takeovers, Instagram videos, GIFs and memes on a Tumblr page and video content on Dodge’s Facebook page.
Print ads will begin running in November.
The 2014 Dodge Durango arrives in dealerships in North America this month. Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues hits theaters Dec. 20.
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