What makes the Chevrolet Hummer such a great vehicle? Hmm, perhaps I should ask this question a little differently. What makes the Hummer such a terribly good vehicle? While I may have lost some people, follow along, it’ll make sense.

From my last post on Friday I was writing about a discussion I had with the Hummer and if I could communicate powerfully enough to change some minds when it comes to sentiment surrounding the brand. After posting on my blog I had many people comment on Twitter about how they despise the Hummer brand and how it’s too big, so ugly, too wasteful, too impractical, of a vehicle. With such strong opinions on the Hummer it will be difficult to change people’s minds, however, the very reasons why people hate the Hummer brand some of those reasons are why so many people love it! Hummer is a fantastic brand and an even better vehicle BECAUSE it doesn’t appeal to everyone!

I love love love the Hummer for so many reasons! One of them is because of the marketing that goes along with it. A few people who commented on Twitter told me that the only reason it’s successful is because of the marketing. I asked what she meant by that. She said that it’s because the ads make it seem so manly so men who need to compensate for something buy it. While that may be true for some people, I don’t believe it’s fair to the majority of people who purchase the Hummer. One of my favourite reasons for liking the Hummer is because it’s a product where the marketing is built right into the product! The Hummer stands out and is bold, there is nothing like it, especially those bright yellow ones. You don’t ever hear people say, “hey, look that Ford Excursion or GMC Denali, or Ford F-350.” You see while that intelligent woman was right, the marketing is good, it’s not the marketing on television that’s making the Hummer so great, it’s the product itself! And that’s the BEST kind of marketing.

One of the aspects to a product that stands out is that people will either feel strongly for it or against it. So many people say it’s a wasteful vehicle and it destroys the environment but is that true? No, not really. It all depends on how you drive and there are vehicles of equal size, bigger and smaller that use the same amount of fuel or more. BUT, because it stands out it becomes a target for so many people to take a shot on. But that’s alright because it gets people talking about it. DO YOU REALIZE HOW DIFFICULT IT IS TO GET PEOPLE TALKING ABOUT A PRODUCT THESE DAYS! Murray Chevrolet Hummer in Winnipeg, Manitoba knows all about the value of a bold product which is why they put the brand of vehicle in their company name! They understand the value of standing out and are leveraging the Hummer brand to do so. If you’re ever in Winnipeg, stop by and check it out, I’m sure they won’t mind if you take one for a test drive. You might just change your mind right there. How does that old saying go? Don’t knock it till you’ve tried it, yeah, that’s the one.

The Take Away

As I continue to study the brand and sentiment around the Hummer and attempt to build a commercial rooted in emotional marketing I am finding it to be an interesting process. I love talking to people and learning about their experiences with a topic to build powerful marketing and communications. That’s what emotional marketing is all about! And let me tell you, when it comes to a Hummer, everyone has an opinion on it. Whether they’re right or wrong I don’t care, I just like to hear the different point of views and possibly changing a few minds in the process!