An epic contest for the sweetest gig

In the wake of the global pandemic, a unique cultural environment was taking shape: A broad reexamination of the things that matter most was creating what history will remember as The Great Resignation.

Moving those who move us.

Our solution would harness the raw energy of the brand's enviable fan base, and offer a reward like no other: A job as Chief Donut Maker with a $150k paycheck, Dodge-branded wardrobe, and the use of a Dodge SRT Hellcat for a year. Passion, performance and a paycheck – without even having to quit their day job.

The search for Dodge’s first ever Chief Donut Maker led included a full media campaign centered around a digital reality series hosted by none other than certified badass, WWE legend Bill Goldberg. The campaign got off to a hot start with over 170,000 thousand initial video submissions (128% higher than our contest administrator’s best-performing contest) We narrowed it down to the top 10 contenders and flew them out to the prestigious “Radford Racing School” where the competition went into high gear. Contestants had to undergo several challenges that pushed them to the limit. The fast pace and high stakes made the three-episode series a huge success, bringing in over 3 million page views to dodgegarage.com (where you can still watch them!) and motortrend.com and igniting fire in the Dodge community.

This program leveraged a unique moment in culture reshaping perceptions of work + job placement channels (an unlikely place to drive a brand engagement campaign) + influencer social media reach to recruit the ultimate brand ambassador, while disrupting the usual automotive category norms. Despite unique challenges in the auto industry to deliver cars, this effort helped Dodge celebrate and reward the passion of Dodge’s fiercely loyal band of rebel-rousers by placing them front and center. It combined social channels and true influencer credibility to achieve record levels of engagement – including $12,784,615 in earned media value, record-breaking engagement, and 298 press articles. A great story of innovative problem solving and influence to achieve an exponential effect.