Next Phase of Chrysler Crossfire Advertising Campaign Launches Nationwide on July 7

While July 4 is the official day that dealers can start selling the all-new 2004 Chrysler Crossfire, that didn't stop early shoppers from scooping up nearly 300 of the stunningly styled sports coupe in June.

With so many units already on the road, the Chrysler brand announced today that the advertising launch of the Chrysler Crossfire kicks off this week with innovative print and TV interactive elements, a broad-based Internet presence and outdoor billboards in five key markets.

Highlighting the campaign is a new Chrysler Crossfire CD-ROM that will be inserted in four major magazines, and a promotion for the vehicle running on TiVo, a leading provider of television services for digital video recorders (DVR).

The interactive CD-ROM is the first for the Chrysler brand. It is also the first by an auto industry OEM to be integrated into a preprinted insert for consumer magazines, according to Bonita Stewart, Director, Chrysler Brand Communications, DaimlerChrysler. The CD comes attached to a four-page Chrysler Crossfire foldout ad slated for the August issues of Wired, GQ and Automobile magazines and the July 21 issue of Fortune, about 2.7 million subscribers in total.

The CD provides an in-depth, interactive profile of the Crossfire, from the designers' renderings to the head-turning reality of the low-slung, two-seat sports coupe that is now entering Chrysler showrooms across the country. Among the features on the CD are the history of the Chrysler brand, a 360-degree viewing of the Crossfire, videos, vehicle specifications and available colors, pricing information, hotlinks to the dealer locator and upcoming Chrysler events, as well as the music of Celine Dion.

"The CD brings the Chrysler Crossfire experience to life," said Stewart. "It contains all the information consumers need about this stunning car. And because it is interactive, consumers can quickly and easily get all of the latest information about this newest addition to the Chrysler brand portfolio."

The Chrysler Crossfire promotion on TiVo Showcases runs from July 8-22. Viewers will be able to see video clips and schedule an upcoming program on the Crossfire airing on SpeedVision. TiVo viewers can also order the Crossfire CD-ROM with a click of their television remote.

Chrysler Crossfire banner ads will appear July 8 on AOL, MSN, Yahoo, WSJ.com, and the Kelley Blue Book home page. Clicking on those ads will take consumers to a newly-created series of web pages devoted to the Crossfire, www.chrysler.com/crossfire.

"Blanketing the Internet is ideal for reaching the tech-savvy, affluent consumers who are interested in the Crossfire," said Stewart. "In a similar Internet blanket earlier this year, the number of daily visits to chrysler.com nearly tripled because of visitors who had clicked over from the Chrysler ads on MSN and other portals."

The new Crossfire web site premieres July 7. It is designed to help users shop and research this all-new car in a variety of ways: by providing interior and exterior color palettes, price-and-equip information, competitive comparisons, etc. Multi-media tools enable users to experience the Crossfire. One example is a video of the unveiling of a concept version of the Crossfire at the 2001 North American International Auto Show in Detroit.

Chrysler Crossfire billboards go up this month in New York, Miami, Washington D.C., Los Angeles and San Francisco. The ads feature the new positioning statement for the Crossfire, "Dreamed in America. Crafted in Germany."