Dodge Targets Men, Women Too in Nitro Campaign
A Dodge marketing campaign launched yesterday to promote the Nitro mid-size SUV is geared toward reaching men, but eyes potential women drivers too.
Last week, Chrysler, Dodge’s parent company, said the new SUV is “heavy on the masculine cues, yet equipped to attract female buyers”.
To that end, as part of the three-month-long campaign, the automaker identified three passions of the masculine gender: sports/fitness, social networking/entertainment and personalization (how men create and define their personal space, for example, creating a “man den” in the basement or garage), which it will play up in the campaign.
Online banner ads will address the three passion points on sites such as Yahoo Sports and Sports Illustrated; AOL Black Voices and The Onion for entertainment; and BET.com and The Home Depot for personalization.
“Media placements for the Dodge Nitro campaign will be where you’d expect Dodge to be: TV sports programming, men’s magazines and gaming,” said Mark Spencer, senior manager, Dodge marketing and global communications.
Later this year, the Nitro will be integrated into the NHL 2K7 video game on Xbox 360, Xbox, PS2 and PS3. The vehicle appears on billboards, in sponsorship mentions between game periods and touted via voice-overs throughout the game. A Dodge Nitro is also the top prize in an online video game competition, Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Vegas Challenge, which features Dodge vehicles in game play. Print ads in the current issue of Xbox, PC Gamer and PlayStation magazines support the sweeps. Tournment registration begins today at GameStop.com/RainbowSixTournament.
Meanwhile, print ads will run in nearly 70 magazines, including general market (Spin, Entertainment Weekly); African-American (Essence, Complex); Hispanic (Audrey Magazine, ESPN Deportes) and Asian (India Today, Korean Journal).
Apart from TV spots targeting men during televised sporting events for basketball, football and hockey, the automaker will reach out to the female demographic via spots on shows such as Desperate Housewives (ABC) and Crossing Jordan (NBC). Print ads in Home and Martha Stewart’s Blueprint, and Web sites including HGTV and The Knot support.
BBD Detroit handles the campaign for Auburn Hills, MI-based Chrysler. GlobalHue, Southfield, MI, handles multicultural TV and print components.
