Dodge & Star Wars

Why is Dodge pouring marketing money into promoting the guaranteed blockbuster hit Star Wars: The Force Awakens? Sure, it's going to be the biggest movie in all history, at least in terms of opening weekend. And coverage will be huge. But what does the following Dodge ad have to do with converting moviegoers into Charger buyers? For that matter, what is up with FCA pushing the latest installment of The Hunger Games franchise, too?

The International Business Times had this to say about the matter;

Dodge, a subsidiary of Fiat-Chrysler Automobiles, was another one of the official sponsors of “The Force Awakens,” and it had a number of tie-ins with Disney/Lucasfilm, starting on Sept. 4, when it partnered with Uber to offer free rides in Stormtrooper-wrapped Chargers in Manhattan. (The Uber promotion was also a triple-cross with Mattel, which gave riders special Stormtrooper-wrapped Hot Wheels cars.) Dodge also ran co-branded spots for its Ram pickup truck line. 

“Collaborating with Disney and Lucasfilm on ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ once again provides the opportunity to deliver the unexpected — relevant, entertaining and immediately noticed end-of-the-year retail commercials true to the individuality of each of our brands and featuring the Star Wars music and sound design known around the world," Olivier François, head of marketing for Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, said in a statement.
That's all well and good, but the ads also serve as a reminder that no vehicle will ever be as cool as the Millennium Falcon.

None of the Dodge “Star Wars” promotions, it should be pointed out, are anywhere near as mortifying as the Dodge Ram ad that “salutes the heroes of ‘The Hunger Games’” as a cross-promotional spot for “The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2.” Nothing says “fighting the excesses of corrupt capitalism” like buying a new gas-guzzler.

Sounds to us like somebody (or somebodys) in FCA marketing should be fired; we can't see how any of this marketing is going to equal sales.