New models are helping to boost sales for the company.
DETROIT – Could “the Donald” replace “the Diva” as the face and image of Chrysler?

You would have to wonder after Thursday night if you were watching “The Apprentice” on NBC, along with 27.2 million other viewers. Chrysler, which sponsored the show, said that probably won’t happen.

“Donald is the spokesman for Donald Trump, and he’s been very open and honest about that,” said Jeff Bell, vice president for Chrysler. DaimlerChrysler AG’s Chrysler Group sells Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep vehicles, but only the Chrysler brand division sponsored the TV program.

Chrysler hired Grammy Award winner Celine Dion in 2003 to help move its mainstream image upscale, but she received a lukewarm reception and has largely faded into the background.

So it’s likely that the billionaire TV host with the goofy coif will be the one remembered for pinch-hitting for the Auburn Hills, Mich.-based automaker.

Moments after Trump selected Loyola University graduate Bill Rancic over Harvard MBA Kwame Jackson, Trump swung the bat for Chrysler so hard that you could almost hear it split.

Trump told Rancic that in addition to his dream job, he would win a 2005 Chrysler Crossfire Roadster. But he didn’t just hand him the keys to the polished blue sports coupe convertible. No – not the Donald, a real estate mogul famous for shameless promotion, usually of himself.

Trump looked into the camera and earnestly thanked Chrysler for its support of the program, which included the Chrysler Trump Golf Tournament that Rancic managed in one episode.

This not-so-brief moment of product placement gushing took place on the most important episode of NBC’s most popular show this season.

So make no mistake: It was a marketing home run for the struggling Chrysler brand, which made a series of promotional blunders in recent years but appears to be making a comeback.

“That was as big as any Fourth of July finish that we’ve seen for a company,” said Michael Bernacchi, professor of marketing at University of Detroit Mercy. “They certainly were able to strike while the iron was hot.”

The Thursday finale followed 14 weeks of Chrysler advertisements and Internet promotion in conjunction with the show, and Bell said the show and the value of Chrysler’s sponsorship has exceeded all expectations.

“This particular gamble paid off very handsomely,” he said.

Chrysler brand sales have been stuck in the mud in recent years – down by 3.5 percent in 2003, on top of a decline of 9.5 percent in 2002.

However, sales were up 12.8 percent through March compared to the same year-ago period. But with Chrysler on Trump’s lips and a pack of new vehicles such as the Chrysler 300C, PT Cruiser Convertible, Town & Country minivan and Crossfire Roadster hitting showrooms, the air is easier to breathe at Chrysler these days. The brand even has a fresh tag line – “Inspiration Comes Standard” – to match its more uplifting outlook.

“This is our year, no question about it,” said Bell, who spent Thursday night at the exclusive “300C Suite” after-party in the Trump Tower lobby. The event, named after the new sedan, was an opportunity for Trump, NBC officials and job-seeking ex-cast members to celebrate.

Chrysler officials said no decision had been made about whether to sponsor next season’s “The Apprentice.”

Whether Chrysler hires Trump as its official spokesman or not makes little difference, Bernacchi said, because he’s already served as its mouthpiece. And Trump may have been more effective than Dion ever was at pushing the notion of an upscale Chrysler.

“The message was always muddled with Dion,” Bernacchi said. “Now, we have this renowned businessman, who also happens to be a celebrity. To have his prestige, his success … You get a lot of charisma and stick-it-to-you image.”

Art Spinella, president of CNW Marketing Research Inc., an automotive research firm in Bandon, Ore., also noted that “The Apprentice” is a show about young, well-educated, successful adults competing for a job.

So, he said it helped the aging brand connect with more youthful buyers – a critical goal for some of the mature brands, like Buick, Mercury and Chrysler.

“It was really kind of a fortuitous collaboration,” said Spinella, who felt the Dion campaign damaged Chrysler’s image by connecting with an older, unhip audience.

Spinella said the affiliation with “The Apprentice” probably will result in increased showroom traffic and sales.

Bernacchi added that Thursday night’s “The Apprentice” was the kind of marketing success that can help flops – such as the Chrysler Group’s ill-fated attempt to sponsor Lingerie Bowl and sexually suggestive ads about the Dodge Durango and Chrysler Concord – fade into obscurity.

Chrysler was quick to point out its success in a press release Friday morning, noting that almost 348,000 viewers had logged onto NBC’s Web site to vote on which Chrysler vehicle to give the winner of “The Apprentice.”

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ARCHIVE PHOTOS on KRT Direct (from KRT Photo Service, 202-383-6099): Donald Trump

PHOTOS (from KRT Photo Service, 202-383-6099): Donald Trump

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