It's clear that concrete-bound New Yorkers don't see enough actual dirt, and off-roading in a Jeep—albeit in an enclosed trade show display—is worth standing in line for more than an hour. Jeep took over the Javits Center's entire 45,000-square-foot north pavilion for its Camp Jeep New York display, a marketing blitz that stood out at this year's New York International Auto Show. Spearheaded by Phil Bockhorn, senior manager of the Chrysler Group's global events marketing group, and John Tulloch of the George P. Johnson company, the stand-alone area—part of an event marketing concept the Chrysler Group has taken to other cities—attracted guests willing to wait for the promise of a hands-on driving experience and fun for the kids.
The main focus of the space was a large ring—called the Jeep 101 Trail Rated Course—filled with a 20-foot-tall mountain of dirt, a two-foot-deep mud pit and rocky terrains that mimicked the conditions of actual off-road driving. Five tons of rocks, gravel and boulders, 4,500 square feet of burlap and more than 200 truckloads of dirt were brought in to create the course. Jeep representatives drove carloads of attendees through the course—naturally, guests didn't actually get to drive themselves—in different Jeep models. After they exited the course, impressed guests could go straight to the Chrysler financing table. (Although it does beg the question: Just how much off-roading do New Yorkers actually do? Does a gravel parking lot count?)
Skirting the outside of the ring were kid-friendly activities like a mini-Jeep driving course—where kids actually got to drive themselves—and Jeep-branded driving video games decorated with rock-like casings where teenagers too big for the miniature S.U.V.s lined up to play.
—Suzanne Ito
The main focus of the space was a large ring—called the Jeep 101 Trail Rated Course—filled with a 20-foot-tall mountain of dirt, a two-foot-deep mud pit and rocky terrains that mimicked the conditions of actual off-road driving. Five tons of rocks, gravel and boulders, 4,500 square feet of burlap and more than 200 truckloads of dirt were brought in to create the course. Jeep representatives drove carloads of attendees through the course—naturally, guests didn't actually get to drive themselves—in different Jeep models. After they exited the course, impressed guests could go straight to the Chrysler financing table. (Although it does beg the question: Just how much off-roading do New Yorkers actually do? Does a gravel parking lot count?)
Skirting the outside of the ring were kid-friendly activities like a mini-Jeep driving course—where kids actually got to drive themselves—and Jeep-branded driving video games decorated with rock-like casings where teenagers too big for the miniature S.U.V.s lined up to play.
—Suzanne Ito
SPECIAL AUTO SHOW REPORT:
Auto Show Has Games and Sleek Booths
Volvo Awards Return to Times Square
Mustang Serves High-Octane Cocktails
Infiniti Debut Has Sweet Branding
Buick Has Toned-Down Auto Unveiling
Read our coverage of last year's auto show...
Read our Impresario Q&A with the New York International Auto Show's Candida Romanelli...
A Jeep-branded sand sculpture from Team Sandtastic sat on the north end of the Javits Center at the New York International Automobile Show to direct guests to the car company's Camp Jeep New York area outside the main building in the North Pavilion.
Jeep representatives drove show attendees over a giant mountain of dirt and through mud pits and gravelly terrain inside the Javits Center's north pavilion.
Kiddie guests got to drive their own mini Jeeps inside a special kids area.
Teenagers too big for the mini Jeeps lined up to play branded driving video games decorated with rock-like casings.
