Budget's New Brand Campaign Shows 'Cool Cars Are In'
21 August 1997
Budget's New Brand Campaign Shows 'Cool Cars Are In'
LISLE, Ill., Aug. 21 -- With new owners, a solid management
team and more than 25 percent of its fleet in specialty and luxury vehicles,
Budget Rent a Car Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of Budget Group, Inc.
, will launch a $13 million brand campaign next week that broadcasts
the company's fleet diversity message across the nation and defines the car
rental experience as the entire time between pick up and drop off -- the
actual driving experience.
The thrust of the campaign will be on the outer limits of Budget's vehicle
choices with TV spots that feature a Jaguar, a Saleen Mustang Convertible and
the new 1998 Ford Ranger XLT extended-cab pickup equipped with a locking
security trunk.
"Consumers are intrigued by the opportunity to drive something fun,
exciting, perhaps even a little different from what they normally drive. At
Budget we offer customers the chance to explore their more emotional and
adventurous side through our specialty vehicles. That's what our brand
positioning is all about," explains Mark Sotir, senior vice president of
Worldwide Marketing and Reservation Operations for Budget.
The campaign is the product of Budget's new ad agency, Hill, Holliday
(Boston). Appealing to the emotional side of driving fun, exciting and extra-
ordinary vehicles, the spots show glimpses of how renters might feel behind
the wheel of some of Budget's specialty vehicles. Shot on location in L.A. to
capture the free-spirited lifestyle, a high rollin', international playboy
cruises the theater district in his Jag ... reports to no one ... until, of
course, 9:00 a.m. sharp Monday when he returns his Budget rental. The surf-
boardin', gen-Xer with no shoes, no shirt and no problems is "too cool for
school" until he drops off his Saleen Mustang Convertible at Budget, where the
spot reveals he's actually a "Generation X-L."
The campaign also introduces a new tagline for Budget, "Get out of the
ordinary.", which reinforces Budget's diverse vehicle line-up that includes
sport utilities, minivans, convertibles, Jaguars and luxury Lincolns as well
as 5,000 Ford Ranger and Chevy S10 extended-cab pickups.
The spots also leverage the company's new road logo (introduced in 1995)
with a highway of specialty vehicles driving through its familiar triangular
elements.
The 10-week media buy includes prime time spot TV in nine key markets,
plus a heavy major market newspaper schedule that includes USA Today and spot
radio in local markets across the country.
Newspaper ads will focus on Budget's fleet diversity, as well as drive
home the value message inherent in the Budget name, by featuring the Budget
VIP Pickup. The newly redesigned 1998 Ford Ranger XLT and the Chevy S10
extended-cab pickups, which come fully equipped with a top-of-the-line bed
liner and locking weather-proof fiberglass SNUGTOP cover -- "the largest trunk
in the industry" --, will be simply priced at $25 per day, any day, with
unlimited mileage (through December 1, 1997).
"This easy-to-understand price point is less than most competitors'
economy and compact rates. And, with 5,000 VIP Pickups in the fleet, no one
can match the value and the vehicle that Budget offers," adds Sotir.
Ads also will include other value-priced offers, such as the $29 a day
weekend rate on any car economy through full size cars. For only a few
dollars more than last year, the single-rate weekend pricing continues to
attract a huge number of weekend get-away travelers. Normal rental
restrictions apply, please call Susan Welty (Corporate Communications) at
630-955-7419 for details.
Certain specialty vehicles are available in limited quantities in select
markets.
Budget Rent a Car Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of Budget Group,
Inc. , is one of the world's top three car and truck rental systems.
The Budget system, which operates under the same name worldwide, has more than
3,200 airport and local market locations in over 120 countries and
territories. Budget has nearly 1,000 corporate-owned and franchised locations
in the United States. Budget's WorldClass Fleet is comprised of more than 25%
specialty vehicles, ranging from sport utility vehicles, convertibles and
luxury cars to minivans, pickups and motorcycles.
SOURCE Budget Rent a Car Corporation
