Dr. Z to the Rescue

Sales of the Big Three Detroit auto manufacturers are in the tank, as Americans continue to buy Japanese and Korean cars.  Daimler-Chrysler hopes to differentiate itself from Ford and GM by emphasizing its German ownership and German engineering.  There is some risk in this, to be sure, since Stuttgart has up to now tried to present Chrysler as an all-American brand.  But with consumers abandoning American-made cars in droves, what does Daimler-Chrysler have to lose?  So the company has launched a series of television adds featuring DaimlerChrysler’s chairman Dieter Zetsche as the unlikely spokesman.  Speaking in a heavy German accent, Zetsche – aka "Dr. Z" – extols the virtues of German engineering while also poking fun at himself.

According to auto industry analysts, the commercials are a hit with American viewers, and the Web site Ask Dr.Z has had millions of hits ( you can also watch the commecials at the site). From the Detroit News:

"The general reaction to the campaign and to Dr. Zetsche looks very positive," said Bob Coppola, vice president of Millward Brown Research Detroit, which surveyed 149 consumers, ranging in age from 25 to 75, who intended to buy a new vehicle within 90 days.

Seventy-eight percent of respondents said they enjoy the commercials, 70 percent like seeing the former Chrysler chief in the ads, and 74 percent say Zetsche should continue as Chrysler’s spokesman."

"Eric Stegman, a 41-year-old Connecticut resident, thinks flaunting the German and American lineage of Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep vehicles is a smart move.

"I like the commercials," said Stegman, a graduate of the University of Buffalo in New York. "Dr. Z reminds me of an engineering professor I used to have."

But the proof is in the pudding, as the saying goes.  How many visitors to the Ask Dr. Z Web site are buying Chrysler cars?  Here the results are not so good: Chrysler’s total sales fell last month by 9%. Dr. Z will need to perform some miracles to  get the patient out of intensive care.