I'll forever consider Sean Connery to be the HEMI of heroes. Here's why.

[An excerpt from Chew With Your Mind Open, my unpublished Advertising Survival guide.]

When I headed up Chrysler creative at BBDO in Detroit, I was there for one reason only. It wasn’t a love of snow, grey skies, or industrial towns digging their way back to their past glory. I was there to make the work markedly better.

A tall order, to be sure.

I can honestly say I could not remember seeing a single remarkable ad for any Chrysler product. Other than inventing the minivan, which was no small engineering coup, Chrysler was a brand that really didn’t register on my radar. 

On the upside, Chrysler was on the verge of launching two extremely interesting vehicles that would take them upscale. I was determined not to squander that opportunity.

LET THE SHEETMETAL IMMERSION BEGIN.

I asked a lot of questions of the people responsible for the engineering and design of the new vehicles, which were recipients of Mercedes technology thanks to Chrysler’s autocratic new parent company, Daimler-Benz AG. As part of my self-inflicted brand immersion, I asked to meet with Chrysler’s designers and their head of design, a bristly gentleman by the name of Trevor Creed, who reluctantly made time for me.

Clearly annoyed, Creed began our exchange by informing me that the marketing department didn’t give a rat’s ass about design. It appeared I was in for a long, short meeting. 

I explained I was new to the account and that my group would be launching the Crossfire and Chrysler 300 models. I told Trevor I was genuinely interested in learning more about the design thinking behind both vehicles. Trevor suddenly realized that I was genuinely interested, and let up on the attitude, albeit just a little.

"WELL, WHAT IS IT YOU'D LIKE TO KNOW?"

“Let’s start with the 300. What was the design brief? Whom were you hoping to attract?” 

Creed explained it was his charge to take the Chrysler brand up-market. That much I already knew. I asked what inspired the 300’s design, expecting him to acknowledge the Aston Martin, which was clearly an influence, at least to me. What Trevor Creed said in the next few minutes told me everything I needed to know to do my job well. 

“There’s no way you could know this, but the 300 had a human prototype at the outset of the design process. It was Sean Connery.” Ah, 007, I thought. That’s interesting. Then Trevor finished his thought and I had the words I soon repeated verbatim to my department. 

“The car was patterned after Sean Connery because you know he could kick your ass, but he’s far too elegant to do it.”

THAT WAS THE NUGGET IS WAS LOOKING FOR.

The Chrysler 300's point of differentiation was suddenly right there in front of me. Trevor Creed had no idea how much he’d just helped me. I raced back to the agency and redirected my creatives to take note of the Sean Connery reference as they did their thinking. 

That very day, a young writer, Ari Echt, brought me a brochure headline he’d crafted for the 300’s Hemi engine. His headline? “Rekindle your love of the on-ramp.”

I felt as if I’d just had my ass elegantly handed to me by six simple words.

Trevor Creed would have been as proud of that writer as I was. We were off and running on fertile ground.

Ironically, the Chrysler 300’s reason for being was revealed to me during a “bonding” session with a guy who thought I was wasting his damn time. 

It was well worth wasting. 

RIP, Mr. Connery. I'll think of you every time I see a Chrysler 300. Godspeed.

Cameron Day is a freelance CD/Writer who never had the pleasure of meeting Sean Connery in-person. He did, however, help launch a car that possessed Connery's DNA. If you need help launching a car, beer, BBQ sauce, or advertising career. he's ready to come in from the garage and have a chat. And if you'd like to know more about his book, learn more here.