Behind The Scenes: The Birth of “Freedom” |
 
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Posted on June 22, 2010
Last week, we unveiled our new Dodge Challenger ad featuring an awesome combination of muscle, speed, and Mrs. Doubtfire George Washington. Appropriately enough, given its debut during the US v EU World Cup match, “Freedom,” was staged to resemble a battlefield circa 1776 – albeit with much more horsepower. The ensuing clash between the charging Americans and the simpering Redcoats proved an appropriate analogy for the United States’ win.
Check out the video above to get up close and personal with the team responsible for the 60-second dose of patriotic-awesomeness and the stunt coordinator, Eddie Braun.
Jun 22, 2010 @ 18:26:29
Why put Mrs. Doubtfire, then cross it out? I know some bloggers are saying it looked like Robin Williams, but c’mon, Mrs. Doubtfire?
Jun 23, 2010 @ 14:30:46
Your commercial featuring a Dodge tearing up the environment, uniformed British soldiers, and a grim-looking George Washington certainly convinces me not to buy a Dodge product. So the two things America got right are the need for high-powered, gas-guzzling muscle cars and the freedom to destroy the natural environment? I believe what U.S. car companies got wrong for so long, and apparently still with Dodge, is the need for energy conservation and concern for the environment.
Jun 23, 2010 @ 16:25:21
JOE KEESECKER…
First off,are you serious ? Furthermore,educate yourself on the real facts…there is no man made global warming (their e-mail’s back it up and close the case) !! There are no real facts confirming global warming (only made up facts)..and a fiction movie by Al Gore and some mindless people believe it !! Also,people also believe in vampires,same people as the global warming crowd….. The earths temperature comes in cycles,remember in 1.5 years the coastal cities will be under water,as you believe !!
Yep,they got it right Freedom and great cars !! It’s sure nice to live in freedom..The freedom to choose between a car or like you just walk around,why are you wasting valuable energy by using power ? Turn off your computer your harming the environment !!! Most electricity is from beautiful coal !! So turn off your power my friend,and dont eat vegetables either, its also harming the environment !! And dont drink natural water,its harming the environment !!
Every company..yes even Asian imports have high powered cars !!! Even V-8 and even Trucks and large s.u.v’s !!!
I love Dodge for their powerful V-8 cars,and guess what… the grass grows back my friend !!
I cant believe people are so uneducated and fooled by fraudsters claiming global warming…..Just for your comment I will idle my 6 vehicles for 3 hours today and do 6 block long burnouts,then repeat every day for the rest of my life !! I am in my mid 30′s so long live smokey burnouts !!!! I am going into my V-10 powered 510 h.p 2005 Dodge Ram and going to drive the hell out of it ,just for you my confused friend !!
Jun 23, 2010 @ 17:27:57
@ Joe Keesecker . hey joe go back to hugging your tree. what should we drive an opal???? now there’s a car with class hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha. global warming is the biggest bunch bs thats been shoveled in the last 20 years. its all about wealth re-distribution and nothing more. its poisoning of the liberasl minds, well if they had any. i spend 10 bucks a gallon to drive my SRT8 over 2 bucks a gallon to drive a not so “smart car”
Jun 23, 2010 @ 22:11:15
@ Joe Keesecker
What’s wrong with uniformed British soldiers? Should they be un-uniformed? Wait, then they would just be British people.
Grim looking George Washington? How about serious looking. He is in a battle. And kicking some British arse.
Tearing up the environment? It isn’t like they bulldozed acres of rain forest. In probably less than a week you wouldn’t be able to tell they were even there. And I suppose you live in a tree house. Because tearing up the environment to build your house is more damaging and more permanent.
As far as global warming. The argument should be to what degree are humans affecting it. Without a doubt we are. But does more come from cars, or is it from power plants, buildings, roads, parking lots, and everything else that contributes to it? Cars are much more efficient than they were 20 years ago – yes, even Hemi V8s. But everything else keeps growing. More power plants, more roads, more parking lots, more buildings, etc.
So I’ll keep driving my Hemi knowing that I am causing less harm than my grandfathers cars. I’m not about to drive a bland sardine can that can’t get out of it’s own way, just to make an insignificant difference.
Jun 24, 2010 @ 08:15:12
JOE KEESECKER…
Furthermore,new cars have to pass stringent emissions tests ..yes,even powerful Challenger’s !! And guess what a R/T Challenger can average 26 mpg !! Thats like a mid size 4 door 4 cyl car !!! Gotta love the technology of the Hemi !!! Heck where I live we have strict emissions testing and my old late 1960′s 440 V-8 Mopar’s pass with flying colors !!!! New car levels !!!
Now I love the environment,we have a cabin in the Rockies and I love nature,the outdoors,I respect nature,want a clean environment ect..and driving or not driving wont make a difference.Also love going to the beach ect…(cant figure out why this government has so much red tape and not letting other countries help in the cleanup,didnt have to get this bad,shame on the dems)in fact the earth has never been greener,as in green tree’s yep driving my car’s/truck helps keep the earth green (look it up)
Guess you didnt hear about electric cars,their batteries, lithium ion come from the ground as in you have to destroy the environment to dig it up !! Well in Japan they are destroying ancient rice fields to dig up the lithium-ion !! Green..not so much…Also I love it when people talk about not relying on foreign oil and go green…Sure ,have electric cars and rely on China as it holds 95% of the worlds lithium-ion,so rely more on Foreign electric-batteries…. yep,windmills and solar panels wont run a car nor a city,unless you tear down every tree in America and replace the trees with windmills and solar panels (how green is that?)and it still wont be enough power to run the cities….Sorry no magical fairydust yet,though you must smoke some !!!
I just keep remembering the early 1990′s,hearing about the ozone layer and by the year 2000 people will get burnt and skin cancer in 2 minutes !!! Blah,Blah,Blah,we wised up since the alarmists screaming the earth is going to die !!! Now you just sound like an old drunk !!Please wise up,and I may take you for a ride in my Mopar,and we can drive across my own lawn..it will grow back in a few days !!! Heck,you can even dress up like the so called grim faced George Washington if that floats your boat !!
Jun 24, 2010 @ 08:19:51
Once again Dodge,awesome commercial…outstanding !! 5 Stars !!!!!!! We need more like it !! Keep them coming !!! Dodge forever !!!!!
Jun 24, 2010 @ 11:30:51
440, Mark, and Dave, great comments! I just want to add that my friend had a Ford Escort in which someone in an uninsured Suburban ran a red light and almost killed him. He is still in rehab and has had numerous surgeries and has been in pain since the accident in January. Until everyone drives a small car, my life is more important than an extra couple of dollars to fill my gas tank. In addition, there are too many 18 wheelers out there in which most of the drivers are going over their 8 hours so they can make ends meat. Small cars are dangerous and provide very little protection. My life and my family’s life is much more important than what some crazy brainwashed tree hugger thinks.
Jun 24, 2010 @ 16:04:09
Sublime,
Another good reason to drive a bigger vehicle..For one I love the size of the new Challenger !! Good looking..no..no scratch that probably the best looking car in decades,and its safe as well.. Locally there was an accident with a Escalade and a new Challenger ,both drivers walked away,and to mention the Challenger was t-boned on the driver’s side !!! We had numerous accidents ,similar to that one in the same spot, smaller cars vs big suv’s,pickups and usually the driver doesnt make it out (alive)when in a smaller car,yet alone walk away and able to go home that night !! Long live the Challenger !!
p.s hope your friend recovers soon….
Jun 24, 2010 @ 17:37:43
Hello All!!!
The 2 new Challenger and the new Grand Cherokee TV commercial are just awesome!!! Chrysler LLC keep up the good work with these commercials……
About Joe’s comment, we still have choices in cars…. If someone wants a big car,afford the upkeep and it meets all the US government and state emissions laws, that person should have a choice. On mileage, my SRT Chally on the open road gets about 22-24 mpg, my 300c gets about 24-26 mpg. I can remember in the 70s and the 80s gas powered small cars MPG not much better, and they came with no airbags,no a/c,no 5 star crash ratings,much worse emission controls,allot less power and not as comfortable.
TAZALLEN
Jun 24, 2010 @ 19:36:17
And all I was going to say was as a Dodge owning USA Soccer supporter of many years, I very much enjoyed seeing that commercial before the USA and England kickoff. The commercial also made me that much more excited for the SRT Experience that I went to two days after.
Exellcent work and I really applaud the creativity in the commercial. But one last thing. The game was against England, not the EU as the blog states. I know this soccer thing takes a bit of getting used to here in the states….
Jun 24, 2010 @ 20:05:45
Hey Thomas, I believe someone said UK, but England is the main force behind the United Kingdom and Scotland and Ireland’s soccer teams didn’t go far so who cares (France bribed the officials). At any rate, I am glad you enjoyed the commercial and the driving experience because Dodge is finally turning things around. I think this ad gave the US soccer team a boost so they could tie England who should have beaten them. Great idea for an ad and hopefully it will sell some cars. Lets see it on July 4th!
Jun 24, 2010 @ 23:50:17
Cool! Love George in the Challenger. Very creative and fun….
Jun 25, 2010 @ 08:23:55
We here at RedLetterDodge believe that a vehicle should be more than just an appliance, and we appreciate all of our enthusiasts who feel the same.
That having been said, these commercials were made in good fun and we value all of your feedback.
Be safe out there
RLD Staff
Jun 26, 2010 @ 08:55:48
Hey Joe, Say it ain’t so!
If this commercial convinced you to avoid Dodge, then that is your choice. Nice to live somewhere that offers you choices eh?
I’ll continue to drive my gas guzzling Challenger and applaud Dodge for making a great commercial.
Hey did you hear Toyota and Honda are into auto racing? Talk about tearing up the environment!!!!!
Jun 30, 2010 @ 18:49:00
Um, the real problem with this commercial is that someone forgot to tell the marketing genius’ that the Challenger is a German platform, the engine is made in Mexico, and the car is built in Canada. About as American as a Smart car. Anyone who has seen the commercial where I work laughs and wonders how dumb ChryFiatGov thinks people are.
I was a Mopar guy for 25 years, but not anymore. Ram brand? Stupid. Thinking that Fiat will save Chrysler? Even more stupid. Fiat still makes really bad cars and still stands for Fix It Again Tony. Can’t give the things away to most Europeans.
Lastly, what’s up with the new Dodge logo? Guess Tareyton cigarettes was done using it.
Jun 30, 2010 @ 20:43:59
To each his/her own. Still the best looking car for the price point in my book. For the record, I also own cars made in other countries. I don’t take things too serious, if you know what I mean. Should I also stop buying Budweiser?
Its like trying to analyze someone’s song lyrics, because you just know they had to be thinking about you when the song was written….
We cannot turn back time, so enjoy what is offered to us today. Go Dodge!
Jul 01, 2010 @ 09:40:32
DCRTO8,
About the Challenger its based on the Charger/300 and it also borrows many suspension components and a basic design from the Mercedes E-class,though modified by Dodge,of coarse.I think they could be changing things from that ,only Dodge knows..
But look at Ford,alot of its cars and engines are based on Mazda,GM’s cars are mostly based on Opels and Holdens..non American..
Buy a Dodge Ram 1500 (made in USA) its the most American content truck,plus the 310 hp 4.7 not the 5.7 Hemi,is built only in the U.S !!
I dont know what kind of vehicle or company you would buy from,they are all made this way today..
All I know I hope Fiat/Chrysler knows what the hell they are doing as I dont know what company to go to next,they all have problems,plus being a Mopar guy for so long I would feel dirty in a non Mopar..
I know most lx cars problems come from the Mercedes parts 2005-2007 avoid those,faulty front control arms,transmission o rings that leak,never was a fan of Mercedes,but what Chrysler did with the lx,it is a nice car to drive,handles good,smooth ect.plus the Challenger is the best looking car out today (besides Viper)
Though I agree with you,RAM should still be a Dodge,and the new Dodge logo,good thing it wont be on its cars !!
Jul 01, 2010 @ 19:20:44
Ford is making the same commercial for the Mustang with Obama behind the wheel
Jul 01, 2010 @ 20:00:50
IndyRider: Relative to Budweiser, yes, I would recommend that you stop buying Budweiser…but that’s only becasue it’s really bad beer and friends don’t let friends drink bad beer.
440 and IndyRider: Here’s the deal. Yes, most cars are put together exactly as you describe, but they’re not doing patriotic commercials and wrapping themselves in the flag. I’m interested in buying cars that are still worth more than half the purchase price when it’s driven off the lot, and then worth more than 35% of the purchase price 2 years later. Also want one that is fun to drive (that means a manual transmission…are you listening ChryFiatGov?), handles well, isn’t a reliability nightmare, and doesn’t have pieces fall off.
The last Chrysler product I had was a 2008 Charger R/T absolutely maxed out loaded. Sticker was $40k, but paid less becasue I had supplier pricing and there was a rebate. It became a rolling turd so when I went to unload it 6 months later book value on it was $21k! I escaped by finding a dealer who had a buyer so I was able to get $25k. Still, that kind of depreciation is criminal.
Along the way I had a body electronics controller crap out, suspension issues, paint and trim issues, and if you can believe this, the carpet looked like it was cut by a blind guy. No wait, that’s an insult to the blind as they could do a better job by feel. The carpet was all pulled out from the door sills and was crooked.
The 5 spd Mercedes auto trans from year 1932 or something was a real piece of work. Lousy response, refused to downshift, and when using the manu-matic it still changed gears when it felt like it. Then there was the glorius thud from the trans when coasting down to a light and the regular 3-2 downshift took place. Passengers thought the damn car was going to come apart. Talked to some other Charger owners and they had the same deal. For 40 large I expect a hell of lot better car than what I got.
Last one; There really is no reason whatsoever that there can”t be a real American made car. Does that mean every last part comes from a US company? No. It does mean that all the important parts can be made in the US and at a profit. Unfortunately too many execs are just like lemmings. Reminds me of 5 year olds playing soccer. No individual thought of another way to do it, they just all clump together around wherever the ball is becasue they don’t know any better yet. No one should get $50/hr to sweep a floor, but when you make most of teh car everywhere else in the world it’s a problem.
Jul 01, 2010 @ 20:23:37
Forgot: I’ve spent time in Europe and saw first hand that Fiats are crap. Always have been, likely always will be. Lancia is just a polished up Fiat turd. Hence, I think Chrysler is dead meat in the long term if the expectation is Fiat will save them. Marchionne put some real top shelf folks in charge too…they might want to start by recognizing that this isn’t Italy or Europe in general. The first commercials that came out under their watch had strange things like some obscure supposedly famous person riding around in a Chrysler 300 and it was done as if it were a film at Cannes. Then there was the truly bizarre mini van commercial with the people wearing furry cat masks…….too much Italian wine or they found the local crack dealer. :-/
Sorry to be so harsh on Chrysler guys but I’ve had all I can take. Eaton started the death of Chrysler, Daimler hastened it, Nardelli with Cerberus worked the same wonders he did at GE then Home Depot (wish I could run a compnay into the dirt then get fired for $250 million) and so I guess it’s only fitting that a bottom feeding company like Fiat is there to pick the bones. It just irks me that our tax dolars are paying for Fiat to take Chrysler and Fiat acts like they’re doing us all a favor and really bringing something to the party. They think lousy cars and lousy technology is worth billions to Chrysler. Truthfully, I’d have rather seen Chrysler just die a respectable death and have some dignity. The one guy who could’ve probably really done something for Chrysler was Bob Lutz. Lido said he screwed up by passing him over and he is correct. Unfortunately for us Mr. Lutz is at a point in his life where he should enjoy his retirement and is not available to run Chrysler..
Jul 01, 2010 @ 20:26:21
hemiuberalles: Too funny!
Jul 01, 2010 @ 21:11:49
DCRT08, you brought up some good points that I think we all agree upon…we just hope “we” are wrong and things turn out better for Chrysler. Hopefully, they can get on track maybe just because people are sick of Toyotas and Hondas because they are starting to all look alike. We shall see. At least Chrysler had a 35% increase in sales from last June.
Jul 01, 2010 @ 23:46:24
DCR
Totally respect your comments but at this point in my life I am just glad I can enjoy my challenger and a cold bud. It’s all good so keep the posts coming.
Jul 01, 2010 @ 23:53:51
DCRT08,
Yeah,you brought up some good points,Iacocca said he wished he never retired/gave power to those clowns if he knew they would destroy Chrysler after the work he did making Chrysler the most profitable car company !….but sounds like you got a Charger built on a Friday..I know a few lx owners and they are pretty happy with them..some exceeded 120,000 miles..heck I know alot of import owners and their cars fall apart after 10,000 timing belts,transmissions (Acura Honda real bad) My aunt had a engine sludged Lexus and I didnt think the interior is much better than a loaded Charger R/T !! You have to remember alot of people praise import cars because they are import,they have the grass is greener on the other side syndrome.Most imports have tight/small interior cabins,and their materials are overrated,after all the bragging they do,when I looked at them i wasnt impressed..thought it would be better..
GM has commercials saying they are American(german/australian based cars frames engines) as Ford says its an American company and some cars are based on Mazda’s and built in Mexico,as well as alot of engines they have !!
As for the Dodge commercials,most I like…sure it wont please everyone but if they put enough out some you like some not…its like that for everything…though I like this one !!
Jul 02, 2010 @ 00:08:38
DCRT08,
Furthermore,even if you had an import and got rid of it after 6 months you would lose a ton of money. Chrysler’s value is lower if it is a fleet or rental car those hurt the resale value,but if its not a rental , should be able to get more for it ,I would assume.
Funny you mention no one should get $50 /hr to sweep a floor,but my Uncle owns a Cleaning business and thats what he gets with his own contracts,it averages out to be.Thought that was funny..I worked with him for a few years,went bidding on jobs ect…
Hey,you can get a 6 speed standard Challenger !! Though you must know that,also Lamorghini says its only going to have automatics..Standards are a thing of the past,unfortunately ! As a 100% made American car,if the government doesnt lower the tax more will be made elsewhere..
Jul 14, 2010 @ 14:29:28
Got a new plum crazy Challenger and I love it!! 25 MPG hwy and 18 City with a six speed that can get out of it’s way. It may not be made in the U.S. but it’s still better than a car with a foreign name. Give me a cold Coor’s Light and my Challenger any day. MOPAR’s still ROCK!!! Also, the Challenger is still the best looking retro car on the road.
Jul 19, 2010 @ 10:26:14
Dear Dodge, Your George washington commercial inspired me. I was going to buy a Camaro, But it will be the Challenger now for sure. I will be purchasing one for my wife also.
Jul 24, 2010 @ 10:19:33
Bull, congratulations on the car, and Rick you are making a good choice. I love my PC SRT8, as well as a cold one!
go MOPAR!
Aug 07, 2010 @ 18:04:54
I am the proud owner of a 2006 Dodge Magnum. Great Car!!!.. so practical. Do you forsee it returning too production any time soon?
(The Magnum’s Back!)