Land Rover to Bow Ads

Land Rover this week will break its first holiday effort, which is meant to position the brand's vehicles as a means to escape holiday commercialization.The work is the first campaign from the Y&R Cos. in Irvine, Calif., for the Ford Motor Co. division. The shop began transitioning Land Rover's $50 million account this sum mer from GSD&M in Austin, Texas. "We want to give Land Rover retailers some mar keting muscle," said Mark Scar pato, retail communications manager for the Irvine-based client. "We are looking to close the year strong, and we decided an integrated campaign would do the job for us." He noted that the campaign is backed by about $9 million in media.The work en compasses four TV commercials; radio, print and outdoor ads; direct marketing; point-of-sale materials; interactive; and consumer giveaways, including breath mints. The components are linked by an image of a snow flake combined with that of a compass, which links to the idea that Land Rovers let drivers experience adventure, said Chris Arkell, Y&R vp and account director. Two 30-second spots tout the Discovery. One shows a father and son driving the Discovery S from one Christmas-tree lot to another as vendors aggressively hawk their trees. The duo then ventures into the woods and spots a beautiful tree. While it appears that they might chop down the tree, they decide it looks best where it is. The other Discovery ad shows New Year's Eve parties, with revelers ready to count down to the new year. The scene shifts to the Ser en geti Plain, where a digital-watch alarm marks the start of the new year and the sky becomes alive with birds. One of two 15-second spots introduces the three-door Freelander SE3. The other effort touts the five-door Freelander. The ads show hands opening holiday packages before cutting to another set of hands, which, with a similar motion, unfold a map on the hood of the Freelander. "Land Rover helps you escape the hustle and bustle of the holidays," said Y&R senior vice president, group creative di rector John Hage. "You're getting to something that's a little bit more mean ingful and contrasts commercialization."The spots end with the voiceover, "The Land Rover holiday. Begin your journey at your Land Rover retailer." They will include leasing and buying information, depending on dealer needs, said Arkell. "We wanted to broaden the appeal of the brand and enhance the retail potential that exists for Land Rover, while remaining true to the global aspect of the brand," Arkell said.The campaign, which targets consumers ages 25-54 with a household income of more than $100,000, runs from Nov. 28 through Jan. 6. TV spots will run in the top 15 markets, as well as on national cable and in spot markets.Land Rover has sold almost 15,000 Discovery vehicles and more than 13,000 Freelanders this year, and aims to sell an additional 7,000 vehicles by year's end, said Scarpato.The automaker asked for more dealer input in selecting this campaign than in years past, said Scar pato. The move led Land Rover to choose ads that primarily feature North American scenes to better connect with local consumers, he said.Land Rover has been gradually building Retailer Advertising Groups. It now has 26 dealer associations and is aiming for 80-90 associations in 2003, Arkell said.

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Land Rover to Bow Ads

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Rebecca Flass