No doubt, Ron Burgundy and the Dodge Durango have benefitted from their mutual partnership. SUV sales have gone up and Anchorman 2 is probably going to have an amazing first week at the box office. After all, Will Farrell has been everywhere as Ron Burgundy including curling trials in Canada and even getting a Ben & Jerry’s Ron Burgundy-themed ice cream.

If you haven’t seen the Ron Burgundy / Dodge Durango ads yet, here’s a taste:

No wonder SUV sales have gone up and awareness of the SUV has been higher than ever. But, what happens when Ron Burgundy goes away? What happens when Anchorman 2 drops off the face of the Earth after a large opening weekend? After all, Will Farrell is notorious for his box office blunders. Don’t get me wrong, the array of Anchorman 2 co-branded marketing campaigns have been brilliant. However, there is so much hype built around the movie that it’s almost impossible to meet that hype. That’s why I think Anchorman 2 will have a strong opening, but die a quick death. And then what happens to the Dodge Durango? What happens when your brand is associated with a flop?

Dodge better have a strong follow up to this campaign because it has built the hype. It has built personality into the struggling and bland Durango name. Ron Burgundy has given Dodge a huge shot in the arm, but what happens when that high goes away? What happens when you come down and you want another hit?

You can go back to the same well with another movie character or do a similar humourous campaign, but after awhile your audience will begin to loose interest, your sales will drop and you’ll be left scratching your head as to what happened.

Then again, Anchorman 2 may end up being a great success and sales of the Durango may surge and that’s cool. Either way, it’s imperative Dodge follows up their recent successes with another blockbuster of a campaign.

What does this mean for your business?

Have a plan. You should always be looking around the corner as to what to do next based off what has happened and is currently happening.

Would you rather win the battle or win the war? Dodge is winning the battle right now, but what about the war? The next few weeks are going to be crucial to the success of the Durango.