Will Retro Imagery & Messaging work in today's economy?

Chrysler is calling upon themes of American craftsmanship and engineering to market its new Jeep Grand Cherokee in a 60-second commercial from Wieden & Kennedy that breaks tomorrow on network and cable TV.

The ad is heavy on industrial imagery, with scenes of people welding and images of skyscrapers and railroads. A voice-over declares: "This has always been a nation of builders. Craftsmen. Men and women for whom straight stitches and clean welds are a matter of personal pride. ... This, our newest son, was imagined, drawn, carved, stamped, hewn and forged here in America."

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The campaign gives Jeep a new tagline: "The Things We Make, Make Us." Wieden, which also does creative work for Chrysler's Dodge car line, appears to fast be becoming a favorite of the automaker; the previous round of Jeep advertising was handled by roster shop Globalhue, Southfield, Mich.

"Chrysler Group has made a radical change in the way it functions and creates products and, it is very apparent in the 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee," Oliver Francois, the carmarker's lead marketing executive, said in a statement today. "The campaign is the company's way of making it clear to our current and potential customers that we have that personal pride back and we are creating quality products."

The new Jeep is the first car to roll out since Chrysler's alliance with Fiat and it hits showroom floors later this month.