Chrysler Cancels 'Lingerie Bowl' Sponsorship

DETROIT (Reuters) - DaimlerChrysler's Chrysler division, bowing to critics, said on Wednesday it was abandoning plans to sponsor a Super Bowl Sunday televised football game featuring underwear-clad models.

The "Lingerie Bowl 2004" -- a tackle football game to be played by 14 women models wearing bras and panties -- was to have been sponsored by Chrysler's Dodge brand and broadcast on pay-per-view television at halftime during the National Football League's championship game on Feb. 1.

Well, good. You know, I really, REALLY like girls. I will admit to occasionally lingering a bit too long at the lingerie section in the Sears catalog. But this whole thing is just dumb, and since Dodge first announced their sponsorship, I never could see how it would ever help sell more trucks.

Maybe I don't understand the buying habits of the whole Girls Gone Wild/Jackass-lovin' demographic--but I really don't think they're the ones who are keeping the Dodge Truck division afloat with their purchases.

Trucks are profitable for automakers, and they aren't cheap. The folks with the scratch to lay down on a new SRT-10 or Durango probably aren't going to be watching a bunch of dimwitted chicks in underwear pretend to play football, nor is such a spectacle going to make Mom decide she really needs to rush down to the White Hat Boys' place to plunk down some dough for a Hemi.

Good riddance.

UPDATE: And lest you think this crap was foisted on Dodge by a grotty old coot with Hefnereque fantasies, here's an excerpt from an AdAge article from yesterday:

[...] A spokesman said Mr. Murphy approved the deal presented to him by the marketing communications director on Dodge, Julie Roehm, who oversees advertising. (Her role expands Jan. 1 with the same title to Jeep and Chrysler brands.)

Shorts and sports bras
Neither CEO Dieter Zetsche nor Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing Joe Eberhardt knew of Dodge's deal until after it was signed, the spokesman said. The initial plan for the models to wear underwear changed in recent weeks to shorts and sports bras. [...]

For the record, Ms. Roehm--product is what sells.
posted by Terry at 10:04:00 AM