Dodge: Warning

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In a refreshing departure from regular car ad scenes – happy shiny motorists or lone, gleaming vehicles traversing the wilderness  – Warning is a witty, script-led spot that presents Dodge as a fearsome, drug-like entity to be used with caution.

The TVC was created by San Francisco agency ARGONAUT in partnership with Texan-based agency GSD&M, Dodge’s new agency of record, which has masterminded the brand's new 'Domestic. Not Domesticated' campaign.

Mimicking the hastily garbled cautions and legal provisos tagged onto the end of radio/TV spots, a voiceover issues health warnings about the perils associated with driving a vehicle so powerful it can “alter the chemicals in the brain and lead to feelings of immortality.” Recited over menacing visuals of car headlights flashing devilish eyes, the warnings include such side-effects as “shortness of breath, increased blood flow to the genitals and angry neighbours” and advises that you “consult physicians, psychiatrists and The Holy Trinity” before driving it.

Unusual in that it barely depicts the cars themselves, the spot ends with the 'Not Domesticated' tagline over dark, fiery outlines of three revving beasts – the Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat, Challenger SRT Hellcat and Durango R/T.

The theme of the car as a ferocious powerful beast is also used in a longer-form film, Unleashed: Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat, from California-based content studio Mind Over Eye and playing on the brand’s YouTube channel.