It's Dodge Nitro vs. dog in "shocking" new viral
The Dodge Nitro may not be flying off dealer lots right now, but at least the mid-size SUV's advertising campaign has taken on a life of its own. You probably remember the commercial in which the owner of a Nitro gives a motorist a jump, only to blow his car sky-high. Someone has cooked up a viral spot in which a dog that tries to do his business on a hydrant-red Nitro, but winds up getting the (last) shock of its life. PETA members can't be pleased, but it's just a commercial (a European one, based on that front license tag). Check it out after the jump, unless you've recently lost a pet. Especially to an angry Nitro that shoots Force lightning.
[Source: YouTube]
Thanks for the tip, Paul!
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Viv 6:17PM (7/18/2007)
Was Micheal Vick the director for this spot? It certainly seems like his line of business.
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Don 6:53PM (7/18/2007)
That should go over well with PETA.
3cubedminus3squared 7:19PM (7/18/2007)
I laughed at that. It would've been funnier if it was a pitbull.
David 6:23PM (7/18/2007)
Yeah, I'm no PETA fan, but on a day when a (now former) sports icon was in fact indicted for doing exactly that in real life (NOT "just a commercial"), this post seems in terribly poor taste.
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Stimey 6:34PM (7/18/2007)
To Hell with Dodge, that is not funny, cute, or most of all smart, maybe they should go under.
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Jay 9:37PM (7/18/2007)
Dodge didn't make the commercial, for god sakes read the friggen jump before you post!!
British_Rover 6:34PM (7/18/2007)
I went to school with Vick and I just can't ever see him doing that but the charges are just too detailed to be completely false. What a fool throwing away all that money for dog fighting.
Uhh stupid commercial too.
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Guenther 6:51PM (7/18/2007)
Odd, the reaction here, compared to the generally positive response to the Sport Ka ads a few years back. Maybe people are just a little more sensitive when its man's best friend.
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Typesbad 7:18PM (7/18/2007)
There is obviously much similarity between the two spots (possibly too much so, from a creative sense) but I think much of the difference in our response lies in the execution.
The Ka was if anything even more evil, but it was more elegant and sly about it. First, it used the actual tools of a car, its sunroof, which simply opened and closed at strategic time. Second ,there was the stunningly realistic movements of the cat. You knew it wasn't real, but you were hard pressed to prove it, thus inspiring a sense of wonder. There was also the irony of the cute little Ka doing such a thing.
There is no such irony in the Nitro spot, which as a blunt SUV, is simply beating its chest a little more than usual. The elegant subtlety of the Ka spot is also lost, replaced instead by dumb flash. The dog lifts its leg and its blatant Star Wars special effects from then on. Not nearly as interesting.
epp_b 7:26PM (7/18/2007)
I agree with Typesbad.
If the Nitro wasn't just a stupid poser-mobile, I'd have enjoyed this ad, even if it still isn't as clever as the Sport Ka ads were.
The Sport Ka ads were much better because the car wasn't trying to be something that it's not.
Guenther 7:48PM (7/18/2007)
I watched it a few more times and rewathched the Ka spots. Definitely some different judgment exercised. The exact same storyboard could have been executed much better. Ironically, it firs the Nitro very well. The whole idea of building an urban UV based on a "go anywhere", trailrated truck frame, is just not very elegant. Moving on...
Patrick 6:56PM (7/18/2007)
Shocking New Viral?
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CARLOS 7:19PM (7/18/2007)
does the Nitro really kill dogs with lighting bolts?
lighten up people - why are we so uptight about everything in the US? This is tame compared to other spots shown in Europe.
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Andrew 11:36PM (7/19/2007)
Living in NYC, where dogs are killed by stray voltage from lamp posts, gratse on the sidewalk, etc. I have to say there's no humor in this spot for me. There have been 2 owner deaths from stray voltage also. I know it's meant in humor, and most would say it's just an animal, but still, this doesn't make me want to consider a Nitro.
bmoredlj 7:19PM (7/18/2007)
Well, I hear they eat dogs in Europa, so this comes as no surprise. Here in the Republic, we won't have this commercial.
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biggins 7:28PM (7/18/2007)
wow... i cant believe you guys actually linked "Force Lighting" to a wikipedia article referencing Star Wars characters (i.e. Emperor Palpatine, etc).
That just made my day. Way to give a guy a nerdgasm.
Oh, and eff off, Dodge. I hope my pisses all over every one it ever sees.
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MrMorix 7:35PM (7/18/2007)
that comment was as lame as the video itself.
Jay 9:40PM (7/18/2007)
You fail at life "Someone has cooked up a viral spot in which a dog that tries to do his business on a hydrant-red Nitro, but winds up getting the (last) shock of its life" I.E. DODGE DID NOT CREATE THIS
Clinton 7:38PM (7/18/2007)
Here's the Ka commercial.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rn8TBAp96Mk
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teknokracy 9:58PM (7/18/2007)
Brilliant.
It doesn't really have the flow or production quality of a broadcast commercial though, so don't expect to see it on TV any time soon.
I just like the fact that it will piss off PETA wanks.
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