It's more than a bit ironic when an automotive company feels compelled to ask its customers not to drive. But with the deadly COVID-19 spreading across the US at an alarming clip, that's the world we live in, and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles is doing its civic duty to discourage frivolous travel by road with a big, sweeping multi-brand campaign.
It's a campaign that sees Bill Murray reprising the same Groundhog Day role that he whipped back out for Jeep's Super Bowl commercial, legendary film director Francis Ford Coppola narrating a heart-wrenching love letter to Italy, and actress Kathryn Hahn dancing zealously around a Chrysler Pacifica.
Each of FCA's brands has put its own, unique spin on the core message: that Americans should do their part to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus by avoiding nonessential travel and social contact as much as possible.
Jeep's #StayOffTheRoad campaign reminds its more adventurous customers that the sooner the outbreak is under control, the sooner they can return to having fun off-road. Fiat's #WeAreItaly shows solidarity with the people of its home country, which has one of the worst outbreaks - and the highest confirmed death toll - in the world. And Dodge's #TheMuscleBehindUs and Ram's #WorkFORHome honor those of its customers who risk their health and safety each day to perform essential services in the midst of the outbreak.
"We want to send messages of hope, solidarity and optimism to everyone who is doing their part to combat the spread of the virus, for the people staying at home and to those working on the frontlines," says FCA Chief Marketing Officer Olivier Francois. "Our goal as an automotive company is to encourage all Americans whose current conditions allow them to stay off the road to now do so, so that we can get back on it that much sooner."
FCA anticipates a long road back to relative normalcy as the US's novel coronavirus outbreak gradually subsides, the automaker most recently setting a target date of May 4th to restart North American production. That's quite a bit later than the company's original April 13th target.
