A Genuine (and Definite) Article

Print and billboard components of Land Rover North America's first multi-media national marketing campaign in five years seek to depict Range Rover as the genuine article.

“Not A. The,” say billboards showing up in the major markets of New York, Miami, Chicago, San Francisco and Los Angeles.

“We wanted to reassert Range Rover back on the top of the pack,” says Andrew Polsinelli, LRNA's marketing communications manager.

Enter the advertising gurus at Young & Rubican, who mapped out the multi-media campaign touting the Range Rover as king of the SUV hill.

In Range Rover's return to TV, a spot shows the English-made Range Rover and a royal procession meeting at a crossroads. The high-line SUV gets the right-of-way.

The campaign is not specific to model year, Polsinelli says, so it will benefit dealers who are pushing '04 models while disposing of '03-model inventory.

Pricing for the '04 Range Rover is expected Sept. 15, says a spokeswoman for the auto maker.

Four months after the redesigned vehicle was launched — only its third redesign in 31 years — the '03 model's sticker was adjusted upward to $71,200 from $69,330. That was to cover the inclusion of bi-xenon headlamps as standard equipment, as well as a 15-speaker Harmon/Kardon audio system.

Posinelli says there are no significant changes to the '04 Range Rover. The current model is running in the middle of the luxury SUV pack, according to Ward's market-share data.

Through June, Land Rover's flagship trails Hummer H2, Lincoln Navigator and Cadillac Escalade, respectively. However, Range Rover is performing better than the Lexus LX 470 and Cadillac Escalade ESV, among others.