The Charleston Gazette Wrote:Price Police catch runaway Rodriguez in spoofy car ad
By Kris Wise
Daily Mail staff
January 16, 2008

Click here to see the YouTube video.

Price Police catch runaway Rodriguez in spoofy car ad

A new television commercial for Cole Chevrolet in Bluefield features the dealership mascot, a "Price Police officer," interrogating a Rich Rodriguez look-alike.

A Bluefield business is using the Rich Rodriguez debacle to try and sell cars.

Cole Chevrolet will start airing a commercial today on three local television stations in Southern West Virginia, spoofing the coach's sudden departure from the Mountain State.

An actor playing Rodriguez is interrogated by the dealership's mascot, the "Price Police," for fleeing to Michigan in search of a better deal.

It shows a Rodriguez look-alike, decked out in Wolverine gear, being grilled by a female cop.

"OK, coach. Why'd you do it?" she says. "What, you thought the deals were better up there than in West Virginia?"

The Rodriguez character explains he thought cars might be cheaper in Michigan because they're made there.

The spot, posted Tuesday on the Internet video site YouTube, already is getting attention. WVU football fans were talking about it Tuesday on sports message boards, and it had close to 2,000 hits early this morning on YouTube.

Kevin Leedy, marketing director for Cole Chevrolet, said the commercial came together quite quickly.

Dealership executives met Thursday with ad representatives to talk about a new campaign. The dealership usually releases a new commercial every month, all with the "Price Police" law enforcement theme.

In the past, ads have shown car owners being arrested and handcuffed because they got swindled by another dealer, or car salesman being locked up because they pulled one over on a buyer.

Owner Tom Cole mentioned the Rodriguez situation, and wondered out loud if it might make for some timely fodder for a new television spot.

The commercial, produced by Dealman Advertising out of Georgia, took off from there.

"It's all in good fun," Leedy said Tuesday. "It's a parody. We didn't jump on the wrong side of the fence with this. We tried to keep it light and funny. We wanted to keep it cute."

The Rodriguez character wraps up the television spot by telling the Price Police, "Show me the bread, I'll run the spread."

Rodriguez is played by a local school football coach in the Bluefield area who asked that his identity be kept a secret, Leedy said.

The Price Police officer is a recurring role for Lee-Ann Cole, the 20-year-old daughter of dealership owner Tom Cole. She's been starring in commercials for the family business for the past four years. She's now a sophomore at Northwood University in Florida, studying automotive marketing and management.

Leedy said he's expecting only positive responses to the new television ad.

"Our ad, contrary to what other people are throwing out there, isn't as rabid," he said. "If you look at some of the other things people have put out there about Rodriguez -- it's not like we're being rude or lewd."

The spot was set to start airing today on WVVA Channel 6 in Bluefield and Beckley, WOAY Channel 4 in Beckley and Oak Hill and WVNS Channel 59 in Beckley.

The dealership, located on U.S. 460, sells Chevrolet, Cadillac and GMC vehicles. It's been in its current location since 1987, but it has operated as Cole Chevrolet since 1982 when Tom Cole bought out Evans Chevrolet.

This commercial is the first one the dealership has posted on YouTube prior to a television debut. It's also available on the company's Web site, http://www.colechevy.com.

"We wanted to see how many people check this one out," Leedy said. "People who are familiar with our commercials are going to recognize it really quickly."