There were so many classic lines. Chief among them is, “If you ain’t first, you’re last.” Dodge is showcasing its historic top spot inn J.D. Power’s Initial Quality Study with a new “Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby”-inspired commercial. The brand was also ranked first in the J.D. Power Automotive Performance, Execution and Layout Study.
The ad features actor Gary Cole as a younger Reese Bobby on a chase after his 10-year-old son Ricky Bobby. The 60-second spot is named “Family Motto” and set to the music of AC/DC’s “Shot in the Dark”, which is the first music released by the band in six years.
Actor Gary Cole reprised his role for the commercial.Photo courtesy of FCA US LLC
“In our 60-second film, we needed to stay 100 percent true to the spirit of the original film, while simultaneously communicating the Dodge brand’s record of ‘firsts’ as ranked by our owners,” said Olivier Francois, Chief Marketing Officer. “Maintaining brand authenticity extended beyond Sony Pictures, including our music alliance with Columbia Records and AC/DC, in addition to Gary Cole reprising his role as Reese Bobby, and having the original movie’s cinematographer, Oliver Wood, involved with this project. Together, we were able to accomplish this epic creative endeavor celebrating the Dodge brand’s first-place wins, which could almost be envisioned as a deleted scene from the original movie.”
Here’s how the spot unfolds according to Dodge:
The spot opens circa 1981 in Talladega County with Reese Bobby, in a new 2021 Dodge Durango SRT Hellcat, on a walkie talkie imploring his young son Ricky Bobby, who appears to be driving a 2021 Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Redeye and who yells, ‘I wanna go fast,’ to pull the vehicle over. During the chase, Ricky Bobby calls out to his best friend Cal Naughton Jr., who appears to pull up next to Ricky in a 2020 Dodge Challenger SRT Super Stock and who proudly proclaims, ‘I had Mountain Dew for breakfast,’ to help him outrun his father by using the infamous Shake ‘n Bake maneuver (with a twist!), leaving his father proud and asking his son to remember the family motto, ‘if you ain’t first, you’re last.’
Family Motto | Dodge
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“Dodge is honored to be the first domestic brand to rank No. 1 in not only the J.D. Power Initial Quality Study, but also the J.D. Power Consumer APEAL Study (mass market) in the same year,” said Tim Kuniskis, Global Head of Alfa Romeo and Head of Passenger Cars – Dodge, SRT, Chrysler and FIAT, FCA – North America. “And Dodge is launching three 700-plus-horsepower muscle cars this year with the new Challenger SRT Super Stock, Durango SRT Hellcat and Charger SRT Hellcat Redeye, proving that we firmly believe our new ‘Family Motto,’ ‘if you ain’t first, you’re last.'”
The spot is related to a larger Dodge marketing campaign. The Dodge Power Dollars 2020 incentive program, $10 cash allowance per horsepower on 2020 Dodge Challenger, Charger, and Durango models.
