New Jeep Compass Ad Campaign Ditches Rocks & Mud; to use Urban Theme

[Ming]

New Jeep ad cruises urban streets
Chrysler adjusts its ad for new Compass SUV in hope of wooing young adults with rap.
Josee Valcourt / The Detroit News
Saturday, July 22, 2006
www.detnews.com



Hip-hop music thumps as a group of bobbleheads zip through a city street in the new Jeep Compass compact SUV, their heads bobbling to the beat, repeatedly nodding in silent approval.

The distinctive scene, premiered Friday in Auburn Hills, is part of a marketing campaign that launches July 31. The introduction of the Jeep Compass underscores the brand's expanded product lineup and new take, which has nothing to do with a truck weaving through trees.

"Compass is an interesting approach for Jeep," said John Plecha, director of Jeep marketing and global communications. "It's part of our growth."

To keep the Compass on the minds of potential young consumers, the campaign will hit music and fashion magazines, the Internet and include a month-long Jeep Compass "Uncharted" music tour featuring unsigned artists. The tour kicks off next month in New York.

All four of the 30-second television spots, named "Steady Bounce," end with the tagline: "Jeep Compass. Freedom, in a whole new dimension."

For Jeep, it's true.

This dimension lacks the typical boulder-strewn terrain and sloshing mud that Jeep's most iconic vehicle, the Wrangler, has long reigned. This dimension has city streets, storefronts and paved roads. And for the Compass, hip-hop pioneer KRS-One's "Steady Bounce" provides the commercials' musical theme.

Chrysler Group executives aren't worried that the urban vibe emanating from the Compass commercials might alienate hardcore Jeep owners. The brand has not gone soft, it's adjusting.

"For us to be competitive in the marketplace, we have to bring vehicles that the marketplace is looking for," said Jay Kuhnie, director of Jeep communications.

The new Compass ads are purposely different than its other models because the front-wheel-drive compact SUV is different, they say. It is the first Jeep to offer 30 miles-per-gallon, and with a starting price at $15,985, it's the least expensive.

If successful, the vehicle, which shares the same underpinnings as Chrysler's Dodge Caliber hatchback, could help the truck-heavy brand keep customers from sliding into crossovers and cars because of high gas prices.

Executives say the Compass with its price point and optional features, including a nine-speaker 458-watt Boston Acoustics sound system, could attract younger buyers to the Jeep brand, which experienced a 6 percent sales decline in June.

Where the average age of Jeep buyers is 52, the Compass is aimed at 22- to 30-year-old consumers in a compact SUV segment expected to double to 600,000 units by 2010 and almost triple to more than 814,000 units by 2016.

Continues: http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll...607220403/1148

[Butz]

A girly Jeep, GM should keep an eye on the Compass and sees how it turns out. Maybe a similar vehicle would help Hummer, and maybe will tarnish its image.

[Quickening]

Hummer just needs a Wrangler competitor, a new H2. And do everything they can make Hummer a fuel efficient brand while mantaining its off road capabilities.

The Compass styling is truly disgusting inside and out.

[Butz]

That's why the next H2 should be offered only with a diesel dual mode hybrid system. The H3 should also get the system, probably with a diesel , too.

[01cavalier]

I'm not surprised that Jeep is advertising the Compass they way they are. It won't be as capable as the other models in their lineup. Not sure I'd really want a cheap Jeep, there are plenty of other models out there that have AWD.

[ByTheLake]

Originally Posted by Quickening

Hummer just needs a Wrangler competitor, a new H2. And do everything they can make Hummer a fuel efficient brand while mantaining its off road capabilities.

Yes, perhaps Hummer needs no more than 3 vehicles ... smallest to compete with Wrangler, the H3, and an updated, lighter H2. No more than that.

[11:11]

Originally Posted by Butz

A girly Jeep, GM should keep an eye on the Compass and sees how it turns out. Maybe a similar vehicle would help Hummer, and maybe will tarnish its image.

tarnish which image, Hummer or Jeep? building a smaller Hummer to compete against the Compass would ruin the Hummer image even more, since the H3 is an underpowerd, overweight semi-dissapointment and the H1, the original Hummer, got killed off earlier this year...

on another topic...

Holy Seizure! have you seen the commercials?! i thought my computer was going to blow up

and i love how they focus the advertisement on the stereo system in the commercial, because there is nothing else interesting about the car...

[Murrow]

Originally Posted by Quickening

The Compass styling is truly disgusting inside and out.

It's true. The outside is disjointed at best -- loooooooong front overhang, upright nose, and a very raked windshield. It's a weird combo. I don't like it at all.

[Greg Burr]

The Compass styling is truly disgusting inside and out.[/quote]

The styling was done by a committee that was inspired by focus groups. It couldn't decide whether give it edges or roundness so they compromised

It's a Jeep with its you-know-whats cut off that's having the mother of menstrual cycle bloatings. Why create those blind spots for the targeted demographic (women) that is very concerned with safety? Ford doesn't makes these mistakes.

The H3 is a good-looking rig. The dual mode hybrid or a diesel would be a great boost. More MPG and a rear visibility and more people (including women) would but that car. It's unique. Gotta love that "reclaim you manhood" ad campaign for the H3.

[GReekBoy]

Originally Posted by 11:11

tarnish which image, Hummer or Jeep? building a smaller Hummer to compete against the Compass would ruin the Hummer image even more, since the H3 is an underpowerd, overweight semi-dissapointment and the H1, the original Hummer, got killed off earlier this year...

on another topic...

Holy Seizure! have you seen the commercials?! i thought my computer was going to blow up

and i love how they focus the advertisement on the stereo system in the commercial, because there is nothing else interesting about the car...

have you driven one? i know a person who has one and says he was surprised it moved liked it did and expectedit to be slower until he actually drove it and bought it

[RWDNut]

I actually like it. I've seen one in person and really the only thing I don't like the look of are the rear doorhandles which actually make ergonomic sense (to me).Smart move to move to the urban setting for these ads, as to not give people the wrong idea about what type of vehicle it really is.

Anyone who bashes the Compass for being girly or not a real Jeep has no idea that they need something just like it. What's better- not spoiling your image and watching your sales shrink to insignificance, or break with tradition to keep your sales higher? It's a Jeep that doesn't guzzle gas, even in 4x4 form. And aside from the front fascia and rear door handles, it resembles the Dodge Caliber that is selling very well. I think they've done the right thing. If Hummer wants to save face and marketshare they should probably do the same.

[JM9777]

The front end of the Compass is hideous.

I realize DCX's desire to grow the Jeep brand and to offer models with better fuel economy, but I think the Compass is a risky move. Having car-based models isn't necessarily the problem, since Jeep has long used unibody construction in the Cherokee/Grand Cherokee/Liberty. But a front-drive Jeep with hardly any ground clearance, and marketed through music and fashion could really tarnish the brand's image. It would be like Hummer selling a squared-off Chevrolet HHR.

Not only does the Jeep Patriot look much better than the Compass, but it offers four-wheel drive, skid plates and all-terrain tires and could actually go off road without getting stuck in the first 100 yards. I really don't see the need to have both the Patriot and the Compass, and I don't see the need for both the Compass and the Dodge Caliber.

[mkaresh]

I agree that the Patriot makes a lot more sene aesthetically and functionally.

To me, the Compass looks A LOT like the Aztek. But it might fare better because the MSRP is much lower and the first-year rims are much larger. And it has bobblehead ads.

[GMFreak8]

Hummer better not follow and offer vehicles like the Compass. The H3 may not be the most powerful vehicle out there, but it can go off road and handle tough stuff, I look forward to a Wrangler sized Hummer capable of going off road, I'd definitely be interested in something. GM has ignored that market for awhile, ever since they decided to let the Blazer rot....

[asim]

I don't like the design of these things, maybe IF they were covered in mud it would look a lot less ugly.