The Chrysler unit of DaimlerChrysler is hoping that a bit of ‘bathroom humour’ will help boost sales of its all-new Dodge Durango sport utility vehicle, Reuters reported.
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In a new TV ad, due to begin airing next month, two men standing at bathroom urinals will be heard talking about how “size” matters, Chrysler spokesman James Kenyon told the news agency.
A third man, perplexed as he listens from a nearby toilet cubicle, will be unaware of the fact that the talk was prompted by a poster of the 2004 Durango, the report added.
Reuters said the new truck, which Chrysler is counting on for a sorely needed increase in US sales, is seven inches longer, three inches taller and three inches wider than the model it replaces.
The news agency said Chrysler has taken heat for racy ads in the past, including one suggesting that owners of its Concorde sedan favoured its spacious back seat for sexual trysts.
But Kenyon told Reuters the new Durango ad, while possibly controversial for some, would not be shown during prime-time viewing hours and had already scored well in Chrysler consumer research.
“If we try to please everyone we would never put any ads on the television,” Kenyon reportedly said.
“Primarily males,” he added, when asked by Reuters about the main target of the Durango ad, adding: “Consumers interested in getting a look at the new SUV, our bigger and better handling SUV.”
