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DaimlerChrysler Launches National Advertising Campaign

21 September 1999

DaimlerChrysler Launches National Advertising Campaign to Highlight Superiority of Five Star Dealers; Ad Blitz Equal in Scope To New Product Launch

    AUBURN HILLS, Mich., Sept. 20 -- DaimlerChrysler
will add a new focus to its advertising with the Sept. 26 launch of a multi-
million dollar, multi-media campaign highlighting the Corporation's "Five
Star" dealers.
    The objective for the high-profile ad campaign is two-fold: first, to
inform customers that they can expect superior service from Dodge, Chrysler,
Plymouth and Jeep(R) dealerships bearing the distinctive Five Star logo;
second, to recognize the more than 1,600 dealers who have undergone the
arduous Five Star certification program to date.
    "We promised our dealers when we embarked on Five Star that when we
reached a critical mass of certified dealers we would shine the spotlight on
them with a national advertising campaign equal in scope to that of a new
product launch," said John MacDonald, Senior Vice President, Sales and
Service.  "Because of our belief in the superiority of the Five Star customer
service experience and our pride in the dealers who have embraced this better
way of doing business, we are pleased to keep that promise."
    Launched in 1997, Five Star is DaimlerChrysler's trademarked process for
ensuring dealership customer service excellence.  Hallmarks of the program
include: ongoing commitment to properly trained and satisfied employees;
consistent, customer-focused sales, service and parts processes; comprehensive
customer follow up; and clean, well-organized facilities.
    More than 1,600 of DaimlerChrysler's 4,450 dealers have achieved Five Star
status, representing more than 60 percent of the Corporation's U.S. sales
volume.  Another 400 dealers are expected to be certified by year end.  Five
Star certified dealers receive special indoor and outdoor signs bearing the
Five Star logo, access to the DaimlerChrysler Get-A-Quote Internet sales
referral system, and employee discounts on new vehicles.  Five Star dealers
will also be able to utilize the just-announced Five Star Market Centers,
DaimlerChrysler's aggregate, Web-based buying service, expected to be a key
competitive tool for reducing dealership business expenses.
    The advertising campaign will consist of five 30-second television spots
and four print advertisements, many of which use light-hearted humor or satire
to demonstrate the Five Star customer service difference.  The first two
television spots to appear -- "Keys" and "Drill" -- will debut Sunday,
Sept. 26 during NFL football and continue on prime-time network and cable
programming throughout the following week and the fourth quarter.  The print
advertisements will appear in national newspapers, including USA Today and The
Wall Street Journal, as well as a variety of general interest consumer
magazines, automotive industry publications and major local newspapers in 37
markets nationwide.  Radio spots will also air in 20 key markets across the
country beginning in mid-October.
    "Five Star dealers are sales and service experts who have taken every
possible extra effort to build their business specifically around the
customer," said Bud Liebler, Senior Vice President, Marketing.
"Unfortunately, many consumers still have the old, stereotypical view of
dealers and what to expect from the dealership experience.  These ads raise
the bar on the buying and ownership process for consumers, while confirming
for Five Star dealers and non-Five Star dealers alike the value of the
certification process."
    The advertising campaign is expected to reach up to 85 percent of the U.S.
mass target audience in its first three days, a penetration level equal to a
new product launch advertising campaign.  Two additional television ads will
debut in the fourth quarter, with broadcast and print advertising continuing
into the first quarter of 2000.