Chrysler Corp. may soon "complement its independent media
buying unit Pentacom with a stand-alone special events group
handling event and sports marketing for the Chrysler/Plymouth,
Dodge and Jeep/Eagle divisions," according to a report by Jeff
Jensen in this week's AD AGE. Separately, a Jeep sports marketing
exec last weekend was expected to "pitch a cadre of marketers" --
including AT&T, IBM, Reebok and Visa -- about joining Chrysler
in forming a syndicate to create "made-for-TV sports events."
The group would also consider buying complete sponsorship rights
and TV time offered by existing sports properties "that satisfy
their marketing objectives." The proposed special events unit
would handle those programs for all divisions and buy media for
those events. "Such consolidation would lead to greater
efficiency in the implementation of programs and more cross-
promotion between divisions," writes Jensen. It is not clear
whether this new division would be part of the company itself,
i.e. Anheuser-Busch's Busch media, or be a separate entity.
Different events that would be created could be similar to the
current "Jeep King of the Mountain Downhill Series" of skiing
events (AD AGE, 1/23).
