Dodge bills its new Journey crossover vehicle as delivering the best
"economy in its class," and it could say the same about the vehicle's
commercial featuring the U.S. women's soccer team.

Earlier this year, some may have questioned Dodge executives' decision to
pick up a sponsorship of the U.S. Soccer Federation and roll out a
commercial about the women's team before the 2008 Olympics.

The Olympics, after all, aren't the World Cup.

But it's hard to question the deal after watching Dodge get extra mileage
out of it.

The 30-second spot called "Team," which the company rolled out in April, now
has a new ending and new life on TV as a result.

The spot opens with soccer stars Abby Wambach, Hope Solo, Heather Mitts and
others loading soccer gear into the back of a Dodge Journey for a trip. From
their training facility near San Diego, they drive south as they watch
replays of their 2007 (4-0) loss to the Brazilian national team on the car’s
DVD system.

Throughout the trip, they repeat a single phrase in Portuguese. In South
America, they step out of the car at the Brazilian team’s training center
and repeat the phrase, which appears in subtitles on screen as, “We want
another game.” The spot ends with a voice-over that says, “Introducing the
new crossover that’s ready for anything. The all-new Dodge Journey.”

That's where the initial commercial ended. But it's been updated recently
and now concludes with a new black screen that highlights the team's
success. It reads: "The rematch: United States 1 Brazil 0" and
"Congratulations on winning the gold in Beijing."

The commercial is the story line of exactly what happened in Beijing. The
U.S. Team loaded up, headed to China and beat Brazil in a rematch to win the
gold medal.

It's a great example of how sports sponsorships can pay dividends if a
company weighs the risks and rewards and makes a bet on a property it
believes will win. By aligning itself with a sports story that fits its
strategy — right demographics (women) and right story line (travel) — Dodge
created a commercial that's delivering some of the "best economy in its
class."