Dieselicious!

I'd love to power up one of these in the backwoods near our home with biodiesel from the grease vat behind Qdoba. These bikes can crawl up just about anything without leaving much of a trace. Lots of torque, less noise, fuel efficiency and true two-wheel drive put this high on the wish-I-had-it-but-can't-afford-it list.

The early "Trail-Breaker" off-trail bikes had a catchy "Goes Anywhere" motto and "go everywhere ... do everything" catch phrase. (Side Note: Great motto - I worked on helping the Jeep® brand trademark the "Go Anywhere, Do Anything™" slogan a few years back while working at BBDO-Detroit. This is the bike for everyone but Superman - the MK3 brochure proudly stated, "Ride one and believe. The only thing it doesn't do is fly."

Turns out Rokon has been building diesel-powered 2WD bikes since 1999 when they produced 20 for special duty in Mexican mines. It was either a Lister or Petter engine. Another Scotish company is producing a diesel bike called the Ecorider.

The bodacious brute above was shown off at the Electric Vehicle Council of Ottowa in 2008.

Enjoy The Ride

Hugh Barton of Glue Audio sent this short animation to Dante Nagy, our art buyer at Organic. Glue worked with Santa Monica based King and Country to create a vibrant other-world, where a tired old Fiat 500 is rejuvenated and given new life.
Great execution - especially enjoyed the sound. According to Hugh it's been "ripping-up film festivals and was featured on Motionographer. I enjoyed looking at the boards almost as much as the finished product. Click here and enjoy a HQ version of "The Ride."

Palm Pre Preacher

Got opinions? According to a recent PC World article, Palm is offering up a few Pre devices to "Real Reviewers" (aka "Key Influencers") in order to get some extra buzz. Deal includes a free Pre and 6-month data plan for just-the-right-reviewers. Ends May 8th. The original news was posted by Job Zilber - Palm's Online Communications Director at the Official Palm Blog.

The influencer premise has worked well for many launches. Jeff Bell, former Vice President of Global Marketing for Interactive Entertainment (now with NCT Ventures), used it successfully to promote its Xbox 360 console.

Jeff previously headed up the marketing department for the Jeep® brand and worked closely with BBDO Detroit creative to get the word out to an extended network of first, or early-adopters. These decision makers, recommenders and influencers carry weight (street-cred) in todays fast-paced world.

The iPhone is by far the most popular device used in our digital agency (Organic Inc.) -- almost exclusively in creative and darn-near it in engineering. The engagement managers are a mixed bunch - with most using Blackberry devices. I'm hoping to plant a seed in the trenches to see if the Pre will take hold. We might even get some Jeep brand apps for the unit - we'll see. Let the influencing begin.

Wrangler Sales Way Up

The Wrangler and Wrangler Unlimited sales are going through the Sunrider® soft top roof. That's all relative today, but sales are brisk according to forbes.com. Wrangler sales are up 28.1% compared to 2008. And they're bound to get better this spring. While Wrangler may not be included in lists of top-10 convertibles - it has every right to be. Wrangler isn't classified as a convertible, but everyone knows the wind-in-your-hair freedom that can only come with the top down while four-wheeling. And no other vehicle in America has a fold-down front windshield.

This past year we upgraded the jeep.com Web site to include many of these "only-in-a-Wrangler" features. As the Senior Copywriter and lead Jeep content manager I worked with our multi-talented creative team to bolster up the original 4x4 freedom machine's presence on-line. We added loads of content about the removable doors, Sunrider® Soft Top and Freedom Top three-piece modular hardtop, Mopar® accessories, and much more. The Trail Rated®, Rubicon, and off-road performance sections were beefed as well. The Jeep team did a marvelous job of conveying the freedom that can only be had in a Wrangler 4x4. Our clients were elated and sales have continued to rise despite the economic doldrum.

Compare that with the Toyota FJ. According to forbes.com sales have tanked 55 % compared to 2008. 'Nuff said.