Chrysler to launch hip-hop marketing campaign for Jeep Commander
The new Jeep Commander - the first Jeep SUV to offer third-row seating - will be rolled-out using a "urban, hip-hop" marketing campaign, according to Chrysler officials. As the first part of this campaign, it will be featured in Missy Elliot's video "Lose Control". Doesn't that sound like a terrible song name to associate with a tall, boxy SUV? The manufacturer is in talks to expand its relationship with Elliot, which might include 30 seconds of Jeep-exclusive music from her, and a cameo appearance in TV ads for the Commander. As a three-time Grammy winner and the largest-selling female rapper of all time, Elliot probably stands a better chance of reaching young potential buyers than, say, Celine Dion. Art Spinella of CNW Marketing Reseach says it so you don't have to - this is an attempt by Jeep to increase its sales among minorities, which recently have not been big purchasers of the Jeep Grand Cherokee.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 4)
sr20de 10:25PM (12/18/2005)
Are Autoblog comments EVER moderated? They could delete most of these comments. WEAK!
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dc 10:25PM (12/18/2005)
Jeep should be marketing this vehicle towards the crowd that will actually purchase it. This is just another example of how U.S. auto companies still haven't grasped the value of market research. A company like lexus or porsche wouldn't be so foolish to try this nonsense. They know who buys their cars and they actively market to them. As much as I want to see U.S. auto companies prevail they often deserve what they get.
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Scott Eaton 10:25PM (12/18/2005)
I'm white, 37, work for a Fortune 500 company (admittedly somewhere around 300) and I don't think hip hop = ghetto. I like Missy Elliot. Most of these comments here are embarassingly inaccurate (to say the least).
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WillDaThrill 10:25PM (12/18/2005)
It's not racist to make fun of rap or rap stars.
If you read all the negative blogs you can see the rascism pouring out though. Like I said in the Charger blog yesterday, "they are being racist and they don't even know it." If you notice, not much is being said (negativley) about Missy Elliot; all the negativity is about hip-hop and minorities. That's because Missy Elliot is a positive rap artist so they sh!t on the next best thing. Unknown to them though is that Miss "hip-hop" wrote songs for some of their so called goody two shoes pop artists; better check your CD labels.
Did you notice minorities whining about rock, pop or country being attached to a car company, or did sales of the original Charger suffer because of the Dukes of Hazzard, does football suffer from "ARE YOU READY FOR SOME FOOTBALL?"....hell no, because we don't give a dam who advertises it as long as they turn out a good product; that is where you losers are weeded out.
And you wonder why we make fun of white people. That's because:
1. Most of it is true
2. I mean c'mon, have you read the attemted rap and slang blogs?
3. You only hate it because it's not mainstream. Once it becomes mainstream you use it and kill it....like beating a dead horse.
4. You laughed and poked fun at minorities for centuries.......no so fun being the joke now, huh? Don't even say crap like "I wasn't alive during those times" because as you can see, it's still going on.
Companies like these don't care about the "what about my needs" crowd, that's what the after market is for. They do what any company does, the go where the money is at, where their sales would make the greatest impact.
It's so funny how you losers kick yourselves in the ass.
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dc 10:25PM (12/18/2005)
Jeep should be marketing this vehicle towards the crowd that will actually purchase it. This is just another example of how U.S. auto companies still haven't grasped the value of market research. A company like lexus or porsche wouldn't be so foolish to try this nonsense. They know who buys their cars and they actively market to them. As much as I want to see U.S. auto companies prevail they often deserve what they get.
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dc 10:25PM (12/18/2005)
"I'm white, 37, work for a Fortune 500 company (admittedly somewhere around 300) and I don't think hip hop = ghetto. "
Oh wow you work for a Fortune 500 company? Who the hell cares? A lot of people work for a Fortune 500 company, Wal-mart has over 1 million employees.
"I like Missy Elliot. Most of these comments here are embarassingly inaccurate (to say the least)."
That's exactly the kind of faulty thinking that Chrysler is also using. It really doesn't matter if you like her because you're not the average Jeep customer. The average Jeep customer is a white male who does not like Missy Elliot. If you're not targeting the demographic that is actually going to purchase your product then you're going to lose sales. The fact that some posters here have already shown disinterest in Jeep because of this shows what a huge mistake they are making. At the very least they should produce commercials that everyone finds appealing. If you don't think a company should focus on their main demographic then by all means start a business and see how far you get with this attitude.
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JJ 10:25PM (12/18/2005)
Chrysler tried to market vehicles to the Celine Dion crowd but did that work?
I think that this is a good idea since Missy Elliot isnt threatining or "thug like" as you might say, and I appreciate seeing more succesful women on tv.
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Observer 10:25PM (12/18/2005)
I think it's hilarious how a lot of people decide on whether or not to get a car not by performance, quality, design, or economy, but by who all drives them.
A car is a car is a car, no matter who/what drives one. If everybody went by that mentality (I won't buy X brand vehicles because Y people drive them or it appeals to the Z crowd), we would all be using horse-drawn carridges.
If you can't drive a car because you are appaled that someone else you don't like drives one too, you shouldn't be driving one period.
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iQuack 10:25PM (12/18/2005)
I never heard of Missy Elliot, so Googled her website to find out who she is.
I could take only about 40 seconds of that noisy and classless crap.
Just my opinion, but if you really like that shit, your taste is in your ass.
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WillDaThrill 10:25PM (12/18/2005)
Thats funny iQuack, I wonder what people say about the music you listen to? Shows how close minded you are....keep following that one track tunnel while the rest of us enjoy what life is all about.
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Michael 10:25PM (12/18/2005)
Her "Lose Control" song mentions Rolls Royces and Lamborghinis. But from the 30 second sample I heard, it doesn't mention Jeeps. You'd think she is sponsored by Volkswagen instead of Daimler-Chrysler.
http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?playlistId=65495197&selectedItemId=65495169
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dc 10:25PM (12/18/2005)
Why is iQuack closed-minded for not liking Missy Elliot? Is it even possible to criticize rap without having some hypersensitive panty waste call you ignorant or closed-minded?
And about Missy promoting Rolls Royce:
Yea, maybe they should have Missy and Snoop Dog drive around in a dropped Rolls with 20" wheels. They should also add hydraulics and have the Rolls hop to one of Missy's songs. It may not appeal to the majority of the people that actually buy the cars but why should we care about those snobs anyways.
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lo 10:25PM (12/18/2005)
Do people must have short term memory?? Chrysler did this with the 300C 50 cent was sent the 1st one to put in his video; and the rest is history! Oh the designer was BLACK!! dont walk RUN and trade it in...before u get another Chrysler that silly blackman has his hands on most of the upcoming designs lol Looks u will have to call your local KKK chapter and see what u can drive!!
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dc 10:25PM (12/18/2005)
Is English your second language? It's a marketing campaign, not a spot in a music video. Did you even read the article?
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WillDaThrill 10:25PM (12/18/2005)
dc
I called iQuack closed-minded because he said, "if you really like that shit, your taste is in your ass." Notice my blog is on the subject of music, not Missy Elliot, damn reading is fundamental. If people can't respect what other people like, that's their choice, but don't disrespect what people choose to like. Not everyone likes what iQuack likes and to say everyone is wrong (or have their taste in their asses) for not liking what he likes is closed-minded.
Let me spell it out for you before you misunderstand it:
I don't like it!
You like it?!
You must have bad taste!
Or in in a better term, since I don't like it and you do means my ass tastes better than yours, my shit don't stink, my music is better than your music....do you really need more examples?
I used to be pro Rap and R&B, until I joined the military. Yes, I talked bad about rock, country and everything else. Now I find myself listening to everything because I respected the music other people listened to. I didn't like it at first, but it grew on me and now they are my go to choices when the R&B/Rap stations start playing the same loop of the top ten songs over and over again.
You may never like it, but don't crap on the people who do.
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dc 10:25PM (12/18/2005)
He said that if you like rap your taste is in your ass, that's his opinion and it has nothing to do with being open or closed minded. He can crap on whomever he wants, that's his right to express his opinion. A lot of people find rap to be tasteless, deal with it.
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Sid Ghosh 10:25PM (12/18/2005)
"And you wonder why we make fun of white people. That's because:
1. Most of it is true
2. I mean c'mon, have you read the attemted rap and slang blogs?
3. You only hate it because it's not mainstream. Once it becomes mainstream you use it and kill it....like beating a dead horse.
4. You laughed and poked fun at minorities for centuries.......no so fun being the joke now, huh? Don't even say crap like "I wasn't alive during those times" because as you can see, it's still going on."
So, you're giving yourself excuses for why it's OK to make fun of white people???
Buddy...you call us close-minded for not listening to rap, but anytime I even suggest rock to a black dude, he just blows it off like it's some sort of joke. Why should I give any respect in return? I used to listen to rap when it was actually good back in the early 90s. Now it's all about attitude problems, bling-bling, pimped cars and grotesque display of women on TV. And the sad part is companies like MTV and DCX endorse that. I know black people who are disgusted with the way current rap-stars portray their culture.
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J Zeke 10:25PM (12/18/2005)
alot of you are only highlighting your inability to speak clearly and ambivalently on a challenging subject.
Tastes are, as ever, completely subjective. The topic was a discussion of celebrity endorsement of product. Did all of you so vehemently insipid get in a similar uproar when Chrysler teamed up with Celine Dion? I find her music uninteresting at best, but it didnt cause me to reply in anger.
Would we be happier if Brittany Spears and Justin Timberlake were the celebrity endorsement? Or perhaps Motley Cru is more palatable. Personally Id like to see a Miles Davis send-up, I mean if Steve McQueen can sell Mustangs...
Regardless, while im the last guy against censorship of any form, its clear that some of us do not have the restraint to censor ourselves. Hopefully THAT group is the minority here.
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KKK 10:25PM (12/18/2005)
Send all the spooks back to Africa
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whofan 10:25PM (12/18/2005)
Rap hip hop, bling bling , black ,white! All of this and most of this whole tread has much to do about nothing.
Maybe racism, because we choose to make it that way.
Bottom line is Chrysler wants to get the youth interested in their product. Hip Hop is what the young kids are into. Its just a channel to use to expose the product. Youth are the future.
Our ignorant generation is still blaming the domestic car maker for the cars they made 20 years ago and forgetting the great cars that they made 30 years ago. The good cars they make today. I bet it would be ok for Toyota to advertise like this.
Hopefuly the mew generation is more open minded than we are. Ignorace is greater with age I starting to believe at 37.
20 years ago I predicted Rap would go the way of Disco. Boy I`m glad I never made a bet.
LONG LIVE ROCK!!!!!!!!!!!!
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