The people responsible for marketing Hummer and Mustang -- two of the most male-oriented vehicles on the market today -- are trying to make the two iconic brands more appealing to women.
GM's Hummer division believes that the general nature of its upcoming H3 model will appeal to women because it has the aggressive many of them like, but is smaller and more manageable and considerably less expensive than the H1 or H2 models already on the market.
Ford is hoping that the general nature of the recently revised Mustang will also appeal more to women, but just to catch their eye has done a deal with a cosmetics firm to market nail polish in three of the sportscar's exterior colors.
GM of Canada has hung an MSRP of $39,995 on the H3, which makes it much less of a bargain than it is in the U.S. at US$29,995. Even at that price, however, this will make it more attractive to women, since they generally spend less for their vehicles than men (at least in part because they still don't make as much).
At the same time, though the H3 will keep the muscled military shape of its bigger siblings, it is considerably smaller than they are and than it looks in pictures.
''H3 will appeal to a slightly younger and more diverse group of customers,'' says Susan Docherty, the Canadian who is now the general manager for Hummer worldwide. It has a price and a size ''that puts it in the heart of the midsize utility segment. Though more approachable, H3 is a serious off-road machine, just like its siblings the H1 and H2.''
It's not likely many women saw the H3's marketing debut on the recent TV coverage of the NFL draft, but they should get a better sense of the vehicle at a new attraction at www.hummer.com called ''Game Over.'' It highlights H3's off-road performance through actual test footage shot during the final stages of vehicle development.
''Game Over'' represents a shift in our strategy toward more online advertising,'' says Liz Vanzura, Hummer's marketing manager. ''The H3 target customer is extremely web-savvy,'' she says, ''and relies heavily on the Internet for up-to-date information on the things that interest them.''
To help Mustang appeal to women, Ford has done a deal with OPI, a leading cosmetics company.
Starting in June, more than 25,000 ''fine salons'' in Canada and the U.S. will sell three ''high-octane shades of Nail Lacquer'' called ''Revved up & Red-y (a dark red that's ready for the fast lane), You Make Me Vroom (a hot red that leaves no 'vroom' for doubt), and Gone Platinum in 60 Seconds (a cool silver that goes from zero to gorgeous in a flash).'' All are said to get ''consumers' nail to the winner circle.''
Mustang's chief designer, Larry Erickson, says ''Mustang customers know style when they see it, and now they can take their pony car coolness with them everywhere they go. These Nail Lacquers and the OPI brand say Mustang all the way, and set new standards for muscle-car style.''
This marketing partnership will involve co-branded packaging and point-of-sale materials. Each bottle of OPI Nail Lacquer will feature Mustang's trademark ''galloping horse'' logo on the bottle's cap. In addition, special print advertisements in Elle Girl, Marie Claire and Harpers Bazaar will feature the 2005 Mustang with models wearing these new OPI shades.
OPI will also feature a specific Mustang branded page on its website at www.opi.com, which will include a data collection tool as well as drive traffic to www.fordvehicles.com.
''We are thrilled to partner with Ford and their new 2005 Mustang, which, like OPI, is all about taking it to the limit while looking great,'' says Suzi Weiss-Fischmann, OPI executive VP and artistic director.
Unfortunately for Canadians, OPI has decided to over-price the nail polishes in relation to what they cost in the U.S. In the States after June 1, you'll be able to buy them for US$7.50, while in Canada they'll retail for CDN$12.50.
photo:Ford Motor Company
GM's Hummer division believes that the general nature of its upcoming H3 model will appeal to women because it has the aggressive many of them like, but is smaller and more manageable and considerably less expensive than the H1 or H2 models already on the market.
Ford is hoping that the general nature of the recently revised Mustang will also appeal more to women, but just to catch their eye has done a deal with a cosmetics firm to market nail polish in three of the sportscar's exterior colors.
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| Hummer H3 (photo: General Motors) |
At the same time, though the H3 will keep the muscled military shape of its bigger siblings, it is considerably smaller than they are and than it looks in pictures.
''H3 will appeal to a slightly younger and more diverse group of customers,'' says Susan Docherty, the Canadian who is now the general manager for Hummer worldwide. It has a price and a size ''that puts it in the heart of the midsize utility segment. Though more approachable, H3 is a serious off-road machine, just like its siblings the H1 and H2.''
It's not likely many women saw the H3's marketing debut on the recent TV coverage of the NFL draft, but they should get a better sense of the vehicle at a new attraction at www.hummer.com called ''Game Over.'' It highlights H3's off-road performance through actual test footage shot during the final stages of vehicle development.
''Game Over'' represents a shift in our strategy toward more online advertising,'' says Liz Vanzura, Hummer's marketing manager. ''The H3 target customer is extremely web-savvy,'' she says, ''and relies heavily on the Internet for up-to-date information on the things that interest them.''
To help Mustang appeal to women, Ford has done a deal with OPI, a leading cosmetics company.
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Mustang's chief designer, Larry Erickson, says ''Mustang customers know style when they see it, and now they can take their pony car coolness with them everywhere they go. These Nail Lacquers and the OPI brand say Mustang all the way, and set new standards for muscle-car style.''
This marketing partnership will involve co-branded packaging and point-of-sale materials. Each bottle of OPI Nail Lacquer will feature Mustang's trademark ''galloping horse'' logo on the bottle's cap. In addition, special print advertisements in Elle Girl, Marie Claire and Harpers Bazaar will feature the 2005 Mustang with models wearing these new OPI shades.
OPI will also feature a specific Mustang branded page on its website at www.opi.com, which will include a data collection tool as well as drive traffic to www.fordvehicles.com.
''We are thrilled to partner with Ford and their new 2005 Mustang, which, like OPI, is all about taking it to the limit while looking great,'' says Suzi Weiss-Fischmann, OPI executive VP and artistic director.
Unfortunately for Canadians, OPI has decided to over-price the nail polishes in relation to what they cost in the U.S. In the States after June 1, you'll be able to buy them for US$7.50, while in Canada they'll retail for CDN$12.50.
photo:Ford Motor Company