The Dodge brand, Chrysler Group's best-selling marque, intends to downsize its advertising slogan from "Grab Life by the Horns" to just "Grab Life." The decision is anchored on making Dodge more than just a pickup brand. This information was divulged by people familiar with the plan.
In the previous months, the famous division of Chrysler has rolled out the Caliber hatchback, the Avenger midsize sedan, and the Nitro small SUV. But the automaker has entertained hesitation because the launch could push away shoppers on the prowl for a sleek car. This is because Dodge is well associated with muscular trucks like the Dodge Ram pickup.
When asked about the downsizing of the slogan, a Chrysler official declined to comment. The official dismissed the issue by just saying the company does not discuss future marketing plans. However, a person familiar with the plan confirmed that the new slogan will be announced in a series of television ads slated to air in the coming weeks. Additionally, some dealers, who asked not to be identified, are aware of Dodge’s upcoming slogan change.
Also, sources familiar to the shift said the new campaign is being developed by the BBDO in Detroit. According to some experts the success of the new marketing approach is dependent on its execution. "They need something with the same cachet. If they're going to make a change, it should be a bigger change that should be more apropos," said John Henke who is a marketing professor at the Oakland University who also follows automotive advertising.
Jim Hossack, a senior consultant with Auto Pacific Inc., said he would most certainly not call the expected change a "big leap forward" but said it would dilute the manliness the Dodge brand evokes, largely because of the macho Ram. "They've neutered it," Hossack said.
The slogan shift is being planned by Dodge executives to coincide with its car sales growth. The automaker is rolling out cars to circumvent the declining sales of pickups due to the volatile gasoline prices.
At present, Dodge Ram remains Chrysler's best-selling single model. The Ram is also one of Dodge’s oldest designs in the pickup segment. It is primarily engineered to rival the cream-of-the-crop in the segment - the Ford F-150 and the Chevrolet Silverado - which have been redesigned in recent years. The popular pickups are equipped with the most fabulous features a pickup should have. They are not limited to Apexi cold air intake and other traditional parts and they most certainly go beyond expectations. This is the very reason why they excel in the segment.
In March, the Dodge sales dropped four percent, with the demand for trucks off by 6.6 percent as car sales increased by 3.4 percent. According to the automaker’s report, the biggest gains were posted by the Caliber hatchback, Dodge's smallest and most fuel-efficient model, at 32 percent, and the Charger sedan at 40.8 percent. On the other hand, Ram sales fell 1.1 percent.
According to Auto Pacific, the marketing and product consulting firm that has offices in California and Southfield, 78 percent of Dodge buyers are men, compared to an industrywide 65 percent, and the median age of Dodge buyers is 53. "If they want more women, things like the Nitro and Caliber are entirely appropriate," Hossack said.
Doug Wilson, the president of Wilson Dodge in Flowood, Miss., was not aware of any slogan change but said there is room for improvement in Dodge ads. "Chrysler needs to go further and to re-analyze their entire marketing strategy because the dealers out there, we definitely need the traffic," Wilson said. "We're the ones spending the money and we need some results."
Vic Doolan, a non-executive chairman of the consulting firm Courland Automotive Practice in Rochester, said that if Dodge wants buyers to rethink the way they see its manly brand, it will take more than just tweaking the slogan. "It's not a marketing exercise. It's a complete brand exercise," Doolan noted.
"The whole idea of 'Grab Life' as opposed to 'Grab Life by the Horns' kind of disenfranchises it from the Dodge Ram," said Brennan Brown, a 31-year-old from Lansing who owns a 2007 Caliber and 2005 Dodge Dakota midsize pickup. "If they cut off 'by the horns,' you're less likely to think Ram and more likely to think maybe a Caliber or Avenger."
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