1969 Plymouth Road Runner. Wes Eisenschenk

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      The full-court press that Plymouth put on the buying public and, more specifically, the mid-size muscle car crowd was as impressive as the creation of the Road Runner itself.

      Very few cars in the history of transportation had such a marketing component in place as the 1969 Plymouth Road Runner. Gordon Cherry’s vision combined with Jack Smith’s persistence were the reasons the car made it to production, but the black and white decal on the door propelled the car into the sales stratosphere.

      Plymouth’s $50,000 agreement with Warner Brothers all but guaranteed that exposure would be the least of their worries. The genius behind the partnership with Warner Brothers was that it offered a character with the car, something the Chevelle SS, Torino Cobra, GTO, 442, GS, and Mopar stable mates GTX, Charger R/T, and Coronet R/T didn’t have. In addition to that, the Road Runner had a horn that went, “Beep-Beep!”

      Giving You the Bird

      The newly colorized Warner Brothers Road Runner became a mainstay in marketing the cars. Plymouth went all-out and used the character in print, media, and advertising campaigns, putting the cartoon everywhere and anywhere a prospective buyer might glance. The results set an all-time watermark for muscle car sales in the Plymouth division, and Jack Smith finally had the bird appearing on the rear and both sides of the car.

      Price Point

      Coming off a very successful 1968 campaign that caught competitors off-guard, Plymouth knew that marketing would need to evolve to stay one step ahead of its rivals. One way to do this was to constantly remind buyers that they could join the ranks of Road Runner ownership for under $3,000; less than a GTO or a Chevelle SS.

      Options would be sparse, but that wasn’t the point. Running mid-14s bone-stock down the quarter-mile was the point, and for less than $3,000. No other mid-size muscle car could make that claim.

      Advertising

      Spreading the word consisted of television ads, radio promotions, and billboards, as well as newspaper and magazine advertising.

      Commercials

      With a deal firmly in place with Warner Brothers, Plymouth was able to capitalize on it by utilizing the car in commercials with both the Road Runner and Wile E. Coyote characters.

      The television programming cartoon shorts involving the characters featured there were multiple failed attempts to capture the bird. From 1949 to 1966, Warner Brothers aired 40 of these 5- to 7-minute shorts. Typically the Coyote failed to catch the Road Runner six or seven times. Plymouth took a single fail and extended it to 1 minute for TV. The ultimate conclusion was that the Road Runner (bird) needed the Road Runner (car) to thwart capture by Wile E. Coyote. The commercials became so successful that Plymouth used the characters in ads featuring Furys, Belvederes, and Barracudas. Ultimately, the Road Runner’s success attracted potential buyers across all models into Plymouth dealerships.

      Illustrated Advertisements

      It was only natural to illustrate the Road Runner car in print. Plymouth blurred the lines between the cartoon and the car, almost making it appear as though the car (and not the actual bird), was being chased by the Coyote. Paul Williams designed several of the most colorful and fun ads in automotive history for Plymouth using this method.

      Two ads were used to announce the Road Runner as the Car of the Year recipient. One ad was used in conjunction with the A12 showcasing performance characteristics. One was used for the Car of the Year Promotional Kit and another used Plymouth’s newest slogan, “Plymouth Tells It Like It Is.”

      Plymouth Tells It Like It Is

      Unveiled in February 1969, the new slogan, “Plymouth Tells It Like It Is,” showcased both performance and head-to-head comparisons against other manufacturers. Williams designed the ads with an exaggerated feel reminiscent of those produced by Ed Roth. Also receiving illustrated advertisements were the GTX and ’Cuda with a special collage of cars in one ad called “Motion by Plymouth.”

      Magazine Ads

      The Road Runner appeared in magazine ads in both photographs and illustrations. The thinking behind this was that by being serious in one respect and not so serious in another, you could cater to a wider audience of potential buyers. Specs, options, and other hard data could be shown in a serious tone while boasting a Car of the Year win could easily be done as an illustration with cartoon companions.

      It’s hard to imagine another car built in this era that accomplished so much using both serious and tongue-in-cheek advertising.

      Radio Ads

      After winning Motor Trend’s Car of the Year honors, Plymouth sent dealers four radio advertisements to play on local stations. These ads ranged in duration from 15 seconds to 1 minute.