Snoop Dogg Does Drive Time With Iacocca

If Lee Iacocca isn’t your cup of tea, maybe Snoop Dogg’ll be chill.

The auto industry’s infatuation with the entertainment industry continues Saturday with the pairing of rap star Snoop Dogg and former Chrysler Corp. Chairman Iacocca in a television ad campaign for the carmaker.

The 33-year-old recording artist for Vivendi Universal’s Geffen Records will appear as 80-year-old Iacocca’s golfing partner in commercials touting Chrysler’s “employee discount” pricing promotion.

Selecting the rap star as a spokesman is an attempt “to break through the clutter,” said Chrysler spokeswoman Suraya DaSante. “This does it. People cannot help but notice it and they’re not going to change the channel.”

Chrysler wants to draw attention away from General Motors Corp. and Ford Motor Co., which offer similar discounts.

In the commercial from Omnicom Group Inc.’s BBDO Worldwide Inc. unit, Snoop Dogg gives a running commentary on Chrysler products in slang: “Fo’ shizzle” means “for sure,” and “kizzy” signifies “cool.”

The rapper, wearing plaid pants and a multicolored argyle sweater, steps out of a Dodge Ram pickup to join Iacocca in a golf cart.

As Snoop Dogg talks, Iacocca looks confused until the musician “translates” Iacocca’s familiar tagline -- “If you can find a better car, buy it” -- into “If the ride is more fly, then you must buy.”

Chrysler said the automaker and its dealers would spend about $75 million on the Iacocca campaign, which includes three previous advertisements featuring Iacocca and slogans he used in the 1980s.

Iacocca is doing the commercials to help fund his foundation for diabetes research. He received an undisclosed fee and will get $1 for every Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep model sold from July 1 to Dec. 31, Chrysler said. Payments will go to the Iacocca Foundation, which he formed after the 1983 death of his wife, Mary, from complications of the disease.