Chysler Product Placement Revs Up

Clearly, Chrysler has recognized the power of product placement. After years of Ford Mustangs and Audis hogging all the prominent cinema roles for autos, Chrysler is bull rushing screens both big and small.

Brandcameo has already looked at how appearances of Dodge Challengers and Chargers, coinciding with the models rerelease, continue to increase, including in high-profile upcoming films like Green Lantern and Drive Angry 3D.

Now, two other Chrysler sightings show just how aggressive the Chrysler brand is in terms of product placement.

Early in the video for Kush, the latest song from hip hop superstar Dr. Dre, a long passing shot lingers close up on a Dodge grill, panning with the beat over the Durango model, landing on a "Citadel" livery on the door as it opens and Dre compatriot Snoop Dog steps out (below). (NSFW language video here).

Then, in the first trailer for Fast Five, the fifth film in the Fast and the Furious franchise, Dodge practically upstages stars Vin Diesel and Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. From beginning to end, beefed up Dodge Challengers rip across the screen (below).

Even the Brazilian police cruisers sent to intercept the black Chargers are themselves ... Dodge Chargers:

But Dodge fans won't have to wait until February for Drive Angry, April for Fast Five or June for Green Lantern.

January will see the release of The Dilemma, a Vince Vaughn comedy that revolves, in part, around Vaughn and his friends efforts to sell their engineering expertise to Chrysler. One trailer features Vaughn driving a classic Dodge Challanger as well as a prominent Dodge dashboard that almost appears to have been specially made for the film:

A spokesperson at Chrysler confirmed that the brand was very involved in placements in both Fast Five and The Dilemma but declined to comment further, saying more information, including potential tie-ins, would be forthcoming.

For a Chrysler brand clawing its way back into consumers' good graces, this kind of sex appeal is potentially a valuable building block for the badge.