Jeep Marches To Different Drummer's Tune
04-01-2010, 05:12 AM
#1
JK Freak
Thread Starter
Jeep Marches To Different Drummer's Tune
I hope the concepts that have been posted recently are the true reality for Jeep moving forward vs. this.
From Marketing Daily:
Jeep Marches To Different Drummer's Tune
by Karl Greenberg, Yesterday, 5:44 PM
Article ▼ Comments (1) ▼
As Chrysler sails into 2010 under the wing of Fiat and off the launch pad of the company's turnaround program, the Jeep unit of the Auburn Hills, Mich. automaker is figuring on working out its own flight path.
Not an easy task, as the company moves away from traditional body-on-frame SUVs on which it built its rep and toward crossovers that are more fuel-efficient and lighter, but maybe -- in the eyes of Jeep fans -- a little too tame.
Jeep has its brand equity to uphold: the best-known off-road auto brand in the U.S. built its rep on its vehicles' ability to navigate everything up to and including California's Rubicon Trail (although in recent years that standard has been replaced by a less evocative "Trail-Rated" metric.)
To keep its loyalists while appealing to people who aren't exactly four-wheeling over boulders of a weekend, Jeep is rolling out off road-themed versions of some vehicles (the Renegade Liberty, and Islander and Mountain versions of its Wrangler flagship) and crossovers that can behave on-road and misbehave off.
Mike Manley, president and CEO of Jeep, says the company is not leaving its roots behind to go after strictly ballroom types, and will keep customers engaged with the brand with a lot more interactive efforts.
The current Twitter-driven promotion around the Islander Wrangler culminating in a sandbox scavenger hunt for a Tiki icon holding a key to the vehicle is an example, he says. Five contestants chosen to dig through the sandbox on Thursday morning at the New York International Auto Show were picked from tweeters answering Jeep trivia.
"For us, social media is a massive opportunity," he says. "The way we are promoting Islander is an example of how we are trying to have an ongoing dialogue with customers. That will continue." Jeep has also been reinvigorating its Camp Jeep programs at auto shows.
Manley says the next launch -- the Jeep Grand Cherokee, hitting dealerships this spring -- reflects Jeep's efforts to bridge on- and off-road consumers and reach "adventure dreamers" who have Walter Mitty-esque dreams of exploration.
Although the new Grand Cherokee is a crossover, Manley says it can be had in different versions with differing off-road capability. "We know we can bring an authentic Jeep to market that is also a fuel-efficient package," he says, adding that the forthcoming Grand Cherokee will have an adaptive suspension system that can dial ride height up or down to on- or off-road conditions.
Manley says one thing Jeep doesn't have to dial up is brand awareness. The company launched a brand campaign last November and is sponsoring the winter X Games in the U.S. and, for the first time, in Europe.
"I wanted to get back to talking about brand, and we are seeing consideration increasing month-over-month," he says. "We've seen volume increase, and consideration is improving. We are still talking about our value in the marketplace."
From Marketing Daily:
Jeep Marches To Different Drummer's Tune
by Karl Greenberg, Yesterday, 5:44 PM
Article ▼ Comments (1) ▼
As Chrysler sails into 2010 under the wing of Fiat and off the launch pad of the company's turnaround program, the Jeep unit of the Auburn Hills, Mich. automaker is figuring on working out its own flight path.
Not an easy task, as the company moves away from traditional body-on-frame SUVs on which it built its rep and toward crossovers that are more fuel-efficient and lighter, but maybe -- in the eyes of Jeep fans -- a little too tame.
Jeep has its brand equity to uphold: the best-known off-road auto brand in the U.S. built its rep on its vehicles' ability to navigate everything up to and including California's Rubicon Trail (although in recent years that standard has been replaced by a less evocative "Trail-Rated" metric.)
To keep its loyalists while appealing to people who aren't exactly four-wheeling over boulders of a weekend, Jeep is rolling out off road-themed versions of some vehicles (the Renegade Liberty, and Islander and Mountain versions of its Wrangler flagship) and crossovers that can behave on-road and misbehave off.
Mike Manley, president and CEO of Jeep, says the company is not leaving its roots behind to go after strictly ballroom types, and will keep customers engaged with the brand with a lot more interactive efforts.
The current Twitter-driven promotion around the Islander Wrangler culminating in a sandbox scavenger hunt for a Tiki icon holding a key to the vehicle is an example, he says. Five contestants chosen to dig through the sandbox on Thursday morning at the New York International Auto Show were picked from tweeters answering Jeep trivia.
"For us, social media is a massive opportunity," he says. "The way we are promoting Islander is an example of how we are trying to have an ongoing dialogue with customers. That will continue." Jeep has also been reinvigorating its Camp Jeep programs at auto shows.
Manley says the next launch -- the Jeep Grand Cherokee, hitting dealerships this spring -- reflects Jeep's efforts to bridge on- and off-road consumers and reach "adventure dreamers" who have Walter Mitty-esque dreams of exploration.
Although the new Grand Cherokee is a crossover, Manley says it can be had in different versions with differing off-road capability. "We know we can bring an authentic Jeep to market that is also a fuel-efficient package," he says, adding that the forthcoming Grand Cherokee will have an adaptive suspension system that can dial ride height up or down to on- or off-road conditions.
Manley says one thing Jeep doesn't have to dial up is brand awareness. The company launched a brand campaign last November and is sponsoring the winter X Games in the U.S. and, for the first time, in Europe.
"I wanted to get back to talking about brand, and we are seeing consideration increasing month-over-month," he says. "We've seen volume increase, and consideration is improving. We are still talking about our value in the marketplace."
04-01-2010, 05:38 AM
#3
JK Freak
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04-01-2010, 05:52 AM
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JK Enthusiast
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If they plan on making the next Wrangler a unibody x-over, I'll go buy another one now and put it in storage for when this one wears out!!
04-01-2010, 05:54 AM
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Kinda makes me glad I have Max Care lifetime on my Jeep, as I may be owning this one for a LONG, LONG, LONG time if they mess with future Wranglers pussyfying them into mall crawlers.
04-01-2010, 05:56 AM
#7
JK Jedi
I wouldn't mind a more civilized version of the Wrangler. Im sure it would sell well. IFS and removable top and doors for a good daily driver yet can still tackle most trails..
They could offer it along side the existing Wrangler. Maybe introduce it in to the line up below the sport..
They could offer it along side the existing Wrangler. Maybe introduce it in to the line up below the sport..
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04-01-2010, 06:04 AM
#8
JK Enthusiast
I just hope they continue to make aftermarket body parts for the next 50 years. I can always rebuild this one. It's like a dirtbike, break it on the weekend and rebuild it on Monday.
04-01-2010, 10:09 AM
#9
JK Freak
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04-01-2010, 12:07 PM
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JK Junkie
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Nothing in there has me concerned about the Wrangler. They will certainly work to make the other models more fuel efficient as they have to, but they know not to mess with the Wrangler. Look at it this way, the JK is their best offroad Wrangler/CJ off the showroom, if anything they just keep making them better (engine not withstanding, but they had to make a change in the department to keep the MPG's reasonable due to the extra weight). I think most of us would have no issue with a more fuel efficient wrangler provided it was still as capable as it is today. I say bring on a Diesel Hybrid