Dodge Charger Freedom Ad

A recent advertisement that I considered powerful was the Dodge Challenger Freedom commercial. The ad was originally aired on June 12 during the US-England World Cup soccer game. In the commercial, a British solider emerges from the woods to inform his men of oncoming US troops. The British soldiers quickly set up for battle, and await the arrival of the American troops. Suddenly, three black Dodge Chargers appear from the woods, and lead a charge toward the stunned British troops. As the enemy men run from the US, George Washington is seen driving one of the Dodge Challengers with an American flag.  The British continue to scamper in fear, as the voice over says, "Here's a couple of things America got right: cars and freedom."
I found this commercial to be very powerful because of the sense of American patriotism and pride it instilled in myself. Also, Dodge timed the advertisement flawlessly, by having the premiere coincide with the US vs. England soccer game. The ad's message was clear and simple: be American and purchase a Dodge Challenger. Additionally, I found the ad to be extremely persuasive because in a sense, it reminded American consumers to support American companies like GM, instead of foreign automobile companies.
As mentioned in the November 1 lecture on advertising, one of the appeals of advertising that is pertinent to this commercial is dominance. Often, the appeal of dominance is used in commercials when the product being advertised is placed against the alternative leading brand. Always, the product being advertised wins out in every category. Often, car companies use this technique to show how their cars are superior to the multiple competing brands. For example, in a Ford commercial, the company may elect to compare their car's features with Honda, Toyota, and Kia.
However, in this commercial, dominance is used to portray America's defeat of England in the Revolutionary War, and correlating that victory with the hopeful victory of the US soccer team. Additionally, the ad is implying that American brand cars, such as GM are superior to foreign brands. Clearly, the American troops are dominating the retreating Red Coats in this particular battle as George Washington in his black Dodge Charger leads the heroic charge. Overall, I feel as though this advertisement succeeded in its attempt to promote Dodge Chargers to American consumers as a whole.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ezk0e1VL80o