Belgium: Dodge wants you to steam up the windows in the Journey
Click above for a gallery of the Baby Made on Board promo materials
When we read the tip from reader Thijs B. telling us that in Belgium, Dodge is planning a Journey launch promo centered around backseat baby-making, we thought it was a big joke. So we started using our Google powers to see what else we could dig up. And guess what? It's legit.
If you go to babymadeonboard.be, you'll be greeted by the screen above, which features a play on those annoying "Baby On Board" window signs that were ubiquitous during the 80s. It's paired with a countdown timer that will zero out on the weekend of June 14, which is when the Dodge Journey officially launches in Belgium. A quick WHOIS lookup on DNS.be reveals that the site's domain name is registered to someone at the Brussels office of Proximity BBDO, a BBDO partner. BBDO is Chrysler's ad agency.
More Googling led us to a Dodge press release posted on a Belgian media portal. The car is being targeted toward men, and its launch slogan roughly translates to "Become a father, stay a man." According to the PR, Dodge suggests that "everyone try out the back seat of the Dodge Journey in a little unorthodox manner." Well, that's one way of getting folks to look past Chrysler's lamentable interiors. People whose "backseat trial" is successful and subsequently produce a newborn child 9 months after the car's launch weekend have a chance to win themselves a new Dodge Journey, and the baby's picture will be posted to the website.
We don't think that Dodge really wants people taking special test drives out of Belgian dealerships for the purpose of steaming up the windows the old fashioned way (we can imagine porters quitting en masse on June 13th if this were the case). This particular assignment can probably be completed at home, too. To help encourage people to take action, however, all Journey floor models will have those "Baby Made on Board" signs in their windows. If you're in Belgium, are planning a family, and are in the market for a new car, you might want to (ahem) get to work on or around June 14. Maybe earlier. After all, a little practice never hurts. Thanks for the tip, Thijs!
Gallery: Dodge Journey - Baby Made On Board
[Source: Dodge Belgium]
PRESS RELEASE
(if you can read Dutch, and we've missed any of the major points, let us know in the comments)
Tijdstip: 10:0
Datum: May 30,2008
Bron: Chrysler Belgium Luxembourg
Dodge moedigt u aan een kind te maken op de achterbank
Tijdens het weekend van 14 en 15 juni komt in België en Luxemburg de
Dodge Journey op de markt, het allernieuwste model van het merk met
de ram in het logo. De Caliber, de Nitro en de Avenger hebben al
bewezen dat een van de sterke punten van Dodge erin bestaat om wagens
uit te brengen die op geen enkel ander model lijken.
De Journey blijft trouw aan die filosofie en richt zich meer bepaald
op mannen die een gezinsauto nodig hebben, maar zich daarom nog niet
met een banale auto tevreden willen stellen. De Dodge Journey heeft
niet alleen een uitgesproken persoonlijkheid en een uiterlijk dat
harten doet smelten, maar biedt zijn gelukkige eigenaar ook alle
voorzieningen om probleemloos tussen alle aspecten van zijn leven te
kunnen wisselen: vijf of zeven zitplaatsen, inklapbare stoelen, tal
van ingenieuze opbergvakken, diesel- of benzinemotoren, handbediende
of automatische versnellingsbak, zonder alle comfort- en
veiligheidsvoorzieningen te vergeten.
De reclamecampagne die gepaard gaat met de introductie van deze auto
zal ongetwijfeld evenveel stof doen opwaaien als de auto zelf. Met de
slogan 'Vader worden. Man blijven' moedigt Dodge iedereen aan om de
achterbank van de Dodge Journey op een ... weinig orthodoxe manier uit
te proberen. Met andere woorden, maak een baby in de Dodge Journey en
als hij of zij 9 maanden na het introductieweekend geboren wordt, dat
wil zeggen op 8 maart 2009, wint u misschien een Dodge Journey. Alle
demonstratievoertuigen dragen het bordje 'Do not Disturb. Making a
Baby'. De foto van de winnende baby wordt gepubliceerd op de site van
de campagne: www.babymadeonboard.be.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Hike15 12:22PM (5/31/2008)
what will Chrysler think of next....
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nissanfreak87 12:44PM (5/31/2008)
uuuummmmmmm, strangest launch promotion ever?
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Eek 1:09PM (5/31/2008)
Weird, but funny. If I still drove my '98 Avenger I might have printed out that sign for kicks.
It's a weird idea, but hey, whatever gets them in the showroom I guess.
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The Doctor 1:20PM (5/31/2008)
For a second I though the line under the picture said something other than "promo" materials...
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Blake 1:44PM (5/31/2008)
Let's see if they can get away with this in America. I'm guessing no, which is a shame.
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Rick 4:31PM (5/31/2008)
Are you kidding? The fundis would be all over it.
M 1:41PM (5/31/2008)
Oh, so Chrysler Corporation (Europe) is promoting sex outside of marriage with all its potential risks of pregnancy, disease, etc.? Nice going Chrysler. Hope you sell millions of vehicles in Belgium . . .
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Alex Nunez 1:54PM (5/31/2008)
Nice job reading the article. The angle is to men who want to start a family. F-A-M-I-L-Y. (Get it? Journey is a family car?) Or did you not see the "BABY made on board" sign. You see, pregnancy is kind of the goal in that particular case.
Blind moral outrage is boring.
M 2:02PM (5/31/2008)
No Nunez, moral outrage is not boring. Immorality and promiscuisness is stupid. It's a part of the social problem we're facing (single mom's with no husband to help raise and financially support the children).
Jim 2:53PM (5/31/2008)
Dear Alex Nunez
Where does it mention that the man needs to be married to qualify?does it?Maybe I missed it.
I think "M" has a valid point.What about the child?
PJ 3:57PM (5/31/2008)
"Oh, so Chrysler Corporation (Europe) is promoting sex outside of marriage with all its potential risks of pregnancy, disease, etc.? ... Immorality and promiscuisness is stupid."
Lemme just...
"Restricted access to birth control and sexual health information is stupid."
There. Fixed that for you ;-)
Daniel Cote 6:56PM (5/31/2008)
You made quite a leap there M. I didn't read anything that indicated Chrysler was promoting sex outside of marriage. You're reading too much into this. Almost like you have an axe to grind.
OBTW, there's a potential risk of pregnancy when people have sex in marriage.
You're right in one regard M. Promiscuisness (sic) is stupid. The word is promiscuousness. And the plural of moms is not mom's.
ambientFLIER 7:01PM (5/31/2008)
M:
So people can't have sex in the car when they're married? Also, how does unmarried sex spread disease?
psarhjinian 8:50PM (5/31/2008)
M,
Not getting any, huh?
apu 3:51PM (5/31/2008)
What about gays? Two go in. Two come out. One baby adopted after 9 months. Ain't that cheating?
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Dolemite 4:36PM (5/31/2008)
This could possibly be one of the lamest advertising ideas in recent history, but Dodge could use all the attention they get, and Belgium could use all the fertility boosts it can get.
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Ohso Clutch 4:50PM (5/31/2008)
Man....how did Chevy let chrysler beat them to the punch on this campaign? They already have a song for it and everything. :)
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Pat 7:34PM (5/31/2008)
Do Europeans actually buy Dodge vehicles?
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Andrew 1:10PM (6/01/2008)
No, we don't buy Dodge much. Even the Chrysler brand itself is not selling in any large numbers. American cars are for a select few that want that kind of thing.
I like some of their models but I would not buy one because of issues with service, parts, quality and the "alien" interiors.
VTL 12:22AM (6/01/2008)
"Baby Made On Board" a Dodge?
That seems fitting, given:
http://www.davezilla.com/2004/07/24/the-origin-of-logotypes/
http://jalopnik.com/cars/grab-life-by-the-vulva/dodge-ram-inspired-by-a-uterus-286046.php
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