Autoblog

It's no newsflash that Jeeps are fun, and that's the new angle the brand is taking to move iron at a pace faster than crawling the Rubicon. Jeep's most recent figures show a 15-percent gain in June from last year, so it's not like they're sitting on their thumbs, but Jeep's been listening to feedback from their often-rabid owner base, and the new tag line will read thusly: "Have fun out there. Jeep." Previous advertising campaigns have pointed up the exclusive club you join by being a Jeeper. "There's Only One," and "Only In A Jeep" send the message that Jeeps can do things that no other vehicle can do (besides, perhaps, Land Rovers, Hummer H1s, maybe even a gingerly piloted H2.) We tend to agree that no other vehicle offers the capability of a Wrangler for the money, nor the vast and supportive owner and fan base. Never before has Jeep offered so many models at one time than now, with their seven different flavors. There's the format that started it all, in the form of the Wrangler, and the line has been fleshed out to include larger and more luxurious models as well as smaller entry-level Jeeps.


The tagline is already at Jeep.com's front page, and there's a super cool user-involvement site at havefunoutthere.com. Look for the teasers to start soon – "fun wheels," outsized outdoor items like a cooler, a fishing lure, and a soccer ball with wheels, will start showing up on billboards, buses, and elsewhere in 12 metro areas. Next will be TV spots on major networks that focus on Jeep's 66-year heritage. Following later will be another TV spot showing an overview of the entire Jeep line. The print portion of campaign begins with a Wrangler-based spread and the copy "Fun. Headquartered and manufactured in Toledo, Ohio." We love the Jeep Wrangler for its friendly character, its indomitable spirit directly traceable to its WWII roots, and capabilities. The Patriot has the family looks and is an entry point to the fold; when it's time to grow up, there's the Liberty or the Grand Cherokee. We won't speak about the Compass. Jeeps are a heck of a lot of fun, and the newfound advertising is a nice change from the chest-thumping of the past.



PRESS RELEASE:

Jeep® Brand Announces New Advertising Tag Line and Ad Campaign for Its Expanded Lineup of 4x4 Sport-Utility Vehicles

•"Have fun out there. Jeep®" is the new tag line

•Outdoor and Internet teaser ads debut July 1; national campaign is mid-July

•Focus is on the seven Jeep vehicles, the most in the brand's history

•Campaign is the first from Cutwater, the new creative ad agency for Jeep

Auburn Hills, Mich. - The Jeep® brand announced today it is launching a new brand advertising campaign on July 1 that will take advantage of the brand's expanded seven-vehicle lineup, its 66-year heritage of 4x4 off-road capability and the inherent joy of driving Jeep vehicles. "Have fun out there. Jeep®" is the new brand advertising tag line.

The new ad campaign is designed to strengthen the already-legendary image of the brand and bring more buyers into the Jeep owner base, one of the most loyal in the industry. While the campaign's primary message is that driving the brand's sport-utility vehicles provides a unique-to-Jeep fun, it will also emphasize that, with an expanded lineup of seven Jeep vehicles, "Now there's a Jeep vehicle for you," said John Plecha, Director - Jeep Marketing & Global Communications. "Jeep has seven models in the 2007 model year, the most available to retail consumers at one time in the 66-year history of Jeep vehicles," said Plecha. "The 4-door Jeep Wrangler Unlimited is one of the hottest vehicles on the market today, while the all-new Jeep Compass and Patriot are attracting customers who are new to the Jeep brand. Now is the absolute right time to keep the momentum going with a new tag line and ad campaign."

The advertising campaign will have three phases, starting with outdoor and Internet teaser advertising. The "fun wheels" portion of the campaign kicks off July 1with billboards, outdoor boards, bus wraps and other out-of-home placements in 12 major metropolitan areas, plus four, 15-second TV spots and a Web site, havefunoutthere.com.

(The 12 are San Francisco/Oakland/San Jose, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Detroit, Dallas, Washington, D.C., Miami/Ft. Lauderdale, Denver, Baltimore, Boston, New York and Chicago.)

"Fun wheels" are a variety of larger-than-life outdoor items that travel on wheels. There is a soccer ball with wheels, a picnic basket on wheels, an ice cooler on wheels - a total of nine items in all. (The other fun wheels are a camping tent, fishing lure, kayak, snowboard, surf board and inner tube.)
"We've proved over the years that Jeep vehicles allow people to go anywhere and do anything. At the same time, owners tell us that driving Jeep vehicles is a heck of a lot of fun, too," Jay Kuhnie, Director - Jeep Communications, said. "The fun wheels represent some of the fun outdoor activities that are associated with Jeep vehicles and the Jeep lifestyle."

Phase two of the national campaign focuses on the heritage of Jeep and begins in mid-July. Planned are two national TV spots - a 60-second and a 30-second - called "Jeep Heritage." They begin airing on July 15 on all networks (programming currently includes ABC's "Desperate Housewives" and NBC's "Medium," "ER," and "My Name Is Earl") and major cable networks, including MTV, Food Network, VH1, FX, E!, National Geographic, Bravo, USA, TBS and TNT.

The lead magazine ad in phase two is a picture of a Wrangler two-door with the headline, "Fun. Headquartered and manufactured in Toledo, Ohio." Jeep Wranglers are manufactured at the Toledo North Assembly Plant. The copy delves into the history of Jeep. There will be additional print ads in national publications (GQ, Maxim, National Geographic and Fortune to name a few) and Web banners.

Phase three of the campaign, called "Sandbox," starts in early August and features the entire Jeep vehicle lineup. "Sandbox" is a 30-second national TV spot that shows all seven Jeep SUVs - the Wrangler two-door, Wrangler Unlimited, Commander, Grand Cherokee, Liberty, Patriot and Compass - cavorting in a giant sandbox. In addition, 30-second spots based on "Sandbox" will feature Commander, Grand Cherokee, Compass and Patriot. Also, a national print ad with the headline "7 vehicles. 1 purpose." will be added to the media mix.

The campaign shifts to the all-new 2008 Jeep Liberty in September.

The new brand campaign is the first creative from Cutwater, based in San Francisco. The Cutwater advertising agency is part of the Omnicom entity. BBDO Detroit, in Troy, Mich., is the agency of record for the Jeep brand.
About the Jeep Brand

The Jeep brand has expanded to seven nameplates in the 2007 model year, the most available to retail consumers at one time in the brand's 66-year history. With the introduction of the all-new 2008 Jeep Liberty mid-size sport-utility vehicle (SUV), Jeep offers customers the freshest, most capable and widest range of sport-utility vehicles under one brand in the industry.

At the start of 2004, the brand's trio of tough, capable, rugged SUVs included the venerable Jeep Grand Cherokee, Jeep Liberty (Cherokee outside North America) and the icon of the brand, the Jeep Wrangler. In 2005, the Jeep Commander was introduced. In 2006, the redesigned Jeep Wrangler was unveiled. Also debuting in calendar year 2006 were three more all-new Jeep vehicles: Jeep Patriot, Jeep Compass and the four-door Jeep Wrangler Unlimited.