Hummer Pitches New H3 to Women

[Proetus]

By SUZANNE VRANICA
Staff Reporter of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
April 22, 2005; Page B3

General Motors has a lot riding on the new vehicle and its marketing push, which begins this weekend. Sales of the gas-guzzling Hummer brand skidded 17% last year, as gasoline prices soared. What's more, the military-styled vehicles became lightning rods for environmentalist and advocacy groups.

Unlike the brawny H1 Alpha -- modeled after the military's Humvees -- and the massive H2, Hummer is trying to make the H3 truck also appeal to women and young couples, in hopes of capturing a bigger portion of sales.

One spot, created by Modernista, an independent ad firm based in Boston, tells a modern version of "Goldilocks and the Three Bears." In the commercial, three bears return to their cool-looking, contemporary house to find someone has been rummaging around. They run to their garage. The papa bear's H1 Alpha and the mama bear's H2 are undisturbed, but the baby bear's vehicle is gone.

Then Goldilocks, who looks to be in her 20s, is shown behind the wheel of the little bear's H3. The spot will run on female-targeted programs such as "Desperate Housewives," which airs on Walt Disney's ABC. A print ad, expected to appear in woman-aimed magazines such as American Media's Shape, shows the H3 and carries the headline "Available in the petite section."



The new creative direction is a U-turn from the male-targeted ad executions with which Hummer has become synonymous in the past few years. Who could forget the company's most famous commercial, set to the Who's "Happy Jack," which shows a boy entering a soapbox derby on a hillside? The youngster builds a rugged mini-Hummer, winning both the race and the heart of the girl next door.

Shifting ad gears carries some risk. When a product is so closely associated with a specific target, any change in direction might cause the core audience to abandon the brand. Hummer says it's making only minor adjustments and knows the risks. "Most women will buy a male-oriented product, but most men wouldn't be caught dead buying a female-oriented product," says Liz Vanzura, Hummer's marketing director.

While the company declines to disclose what it will spend to promote the new vehicle, the Hummer brand received $133.2 million in ad time and space in 2004, according to TNS Media Intelligence, a New York research company.

The new Hummer ads will have to work overtime to stand out in a midsize-SUV segment that's beginning to look like a traffic jam. DaimlerChrysler's Jeep, whose redesigned Grand Cherokee offers a more powerful engine than the H3, will introduce this fall the larger Jeep Commander, a military-styled vehicle that will go head-to-head against Hummer. The fall also brings a new Explorer SUV from Ford Motor, and Asian car makers are hopping on the bandwagon with new offerings in the segment.

Hummer isn't depending just on the feminine touch to jump-start sales. Ads will prominently display the H3's slimmer starting price tag of $29,500. It's a far cry from the H1 Alpha, which has a 300-horsepower diesel engine and can set you back $140,000, and the H2, which sells for about $50,000.

More importantly, some H3 ads will ballyhoo the vehicle's fuel economy. While the ads won't directly state the mileage the new vehicle gets (about 20 miles a gallon), the information will be included in the company's Web effort. Providing fuel data is a startling reversal for Hummer, which has long been mum on fuel facts. Indeed, the auto maker has never disclosed the H2's fuel-consumption figures, though estimates suggest the truck gets about 10 miles a gallon.

To be sure, some of the new H3 ads will continue to home in on the muscle-bound set. One new spot introducing the vehicle, for example, shows a young couple using the H3 to go off-roading. The spot debuts during perhaps the polar opposite of "Desperate Housewives": this weekend's coverage of the National Football League draft, on Disney's ESPN. "Especially with a brand that is very male-oriented, it has to be the same head-turning product," says Susan Docherty, Hummer's general manager.

http://online.wsj.com/article/1,,SB1...ml?mod=COMPANY (sub req'd)

[mgescuro]

Just so long as the H3 meet or exceeds sales expectations... I could care less if they marketed it to cows.

[FightingChance]

Judging by who I've seen driving H2's, I thought it was a woman's vehicle already. . .

[stevews602]

I noticed the same thing, for all the macho marketing of the H2 about 75% of the time I see females at the wheel.

Then again a lot of the soccer mom's went from minivans to SUV's so I guess it's not that strange.

[LazyGeneral]

I like the new H3 and, based on the reaction of my fiance, think selling it to women is a great idea (she bugs me to get a Hummer all the time).

Only one thing about the H3 disturbs me: at 20 mpg it averages almost the same fuel economy as the new G6 with 240 hp! (estimated at 21mpg combined given 18/24). That really puts the milage of the G6 into perspective.

[Cassie]

I see a lot of women drive pretty much every brand of large SUV on the road. Even though I personally don't care for them, I think a lot of the appeal is the sense of security and safety they give women... even if that sense is mental.

[funpilot]

I have a deposit on the H3 and am looking forward to getting one. Cassie, I would be pleased to drive up from Chesapeake to give you a ride anytime!!!!!!!

[dindak]

I have seen a few women behind the wheel of H2s so the H3 being a bit smaller should sell better to some who think the H2 is too big.

Certainly doesn't make the H3 a girlie truck!

[tgagneguam]

Ads will prominently display the H3's slimmer starting price tag of $29,500.

This price is less than I anticipated, and it seems fair for the vehicle I've seen in NY. What a pleasant surprise! And it bodes well for sales, methinks.

[04bonnie]

It bothers me when any vehicle is assumed to be gender specific. It's totally nonsense. Vehicles don't have genders, so why do we place them in either a "guy's" vehicle or a "girl's" vehicle catagory....doesn't seem to make any sense. The Hummer has always had a macho type character, but that obviously doesn't mean women can't drive it. It's a real tight wire auto companies walk when trying to guess the demographics of vehicles. Not something that's easy, by any means, but if they want to pursuade a certain type of person to buy the vehicle that they haven't seen purchase in the past, then that comes from creative advertising, and it sounds like Hummer is right on track to attract women to the showrooms, but it shouldn't keep men from buying an H3, I don't see that ever happening.

[asim]

All they need to do is make a H3 Alpha, with a V8 engine.

[dawtcalm]

Originally Posted by LazyGeneral

... based on the reaction of my fiance, I think selling it to women is a great idea (she bugs me to get a Hummer all the time).

bwahahah, shouldn't it be the other way around!

[mbukukanyau]

Originally Posted by LazyGeneral

I like the new H3 and, based on the reaction of my fiance, think selling it to women is a great idea (she bugs me to get a Hummer all the time).

Only one thing about the H3 disturbs me: at 20 mpg it averages almost the same fuel economy as the new G6 with 240 hp! (estimated at 21mpg combined given 18/24). That really puts the milage of the G6 into perspective.

Lets just say lately, GM powertrains has been dropping the ball. The only cars they did not let us down were Vette, Vette Z06, CTS V,
The rest of them STS V 440, HP, have been a let down... Malibu, G6 should be spinning the same V6 engine as CTS 2.8 (I do not know how many horses it has but I guess its more refined) and just try and smooth out the ecotecs, everyone keeps saying how 'course' they sound.
Personally, I think the cobalt is the smoothest small car I have driven (I own a 2002 Corolla S with the 'smooth 1.8 Corolla engine' that is used in the Celica)

But GM powertrain need to step up to the play... there is no reason why they should not, given Nissan uses variations of one Engine VQ Series from infiniti to Nissan.
They should however keep Northstar exclusive to Cadillac, and develop another Brand for engines to use from Buick down..
Saab should always have Turbo, The LS series should be used across the board as a V8, and they should kill Vortec or take Vortec DOHC from pushrod

[mplin]

Originally Posted by LazyGeneral

I like the new H3 and, based on the reaction of my fiance, think selling it to women is a great idea (she bugs me to get a Hummer all the time).

Only one thing about the H3 disturbs me: at 20 mpg it averages almost the same fuel economy as the new G6 with 240 hp! (estimated at 21mpg combined given 18/24). That really puts the milage of the G6 into perspective.

I think the 20 mpg for the H3 everyone keeps referring to is the hwy mileage. My guess is that in the city it will probably get 13 -15 mpg at best. Also I hope the G6 GTP has poor mileage because of gearing. We'll see when someone does a full road test.

[mbukukanyau]

Originally Posted by mplin

I think the 20 mpg for the H3 everyone keeps referring to is the hwy mileage. My guess is that in the city it will probably get 13 -15 mpg at best. Also I hope the G6 GTP has poor mileage because of gearing. We'll see when someone does a full road test.

There are 4 things that Domestics are hammered for, GM is addressing three, but not the third
Product life cycle
Quality
Gas mileage
Interiors