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eep has long held strong brand recognition as the mud-covered, outdoor fun, off-roading vehicle. This brand promise resonates with Jeep’s core fan base, but not always with the 9-5 casual Jeep target. We wanted to create a product service and promotion that would extend the approachability of the Jeep brand, and relate the fun of owning a Jeep back to the common vehicle owner. The Jeep Experience site is an ever-evolving, social media website portal, where users can go to immerse themselves in Jeep culture. The objective of the Urban Ranger project was to increase engagement from the common vehicle owner and to gain the perception of Jeep as a vehicle that is for everybody—not just off-road enthusiasts. Our goal was to produce a sharp rise in engagement on the Jeep Experience site, and to increase the number of new visitors to this site. The idea that drove our efforts for the Jeep Urban Ranger website was the mission of redefining the testimonial. Since everyday consumers tend to have built-in trust for other like-minded consumers, the idea of producing vehicle testimonials—starring real people—made perfect sense. But it’s a concept that had been done over and over already. Looking for a unique spin, we produced a character (Urban Ranger), an engaging entertainer, to pull the information out of the Jeep owners. As a self-proclaimed “4x4 enthusiast,” the Urban Ranger helped disarm the sometimes bashful interviewees, encouraging them to speak up and have fun while the cameras were rolling. (The talent was selected based on his improvisational skills.) Please see full overview and results at: http://www.undergroundaward.com/iac_2009/jeep_urban/

Contributors:

Executive Creative Director:	Sam Cannon
Group Creative Director:	Scott Lange
Creative Director:	Kevin McElroy
Art Director:	John Stoll
Experience Architect:	Nikki Duncan
Copywriter:	Trevor Naud
Engagement Manager:	Jason Follebout
Engagement Manager:	Katie Bolen
Producer:	Paul Paruta
	Please see full credits at: http://www.undergroundaward.com/iac_2009/jeep_urban/

ORGANIC, INC.

Location: USA