How I Spent My Camp Jeep Vacation

PROMO’s features editor gets an inside look at DaimlerChrysler’s annual owner event.

According to General George S. Patton, three things enabled the U.S. to achieve victory in World War II: the B-17 bomber, the M1 rifle, and the Jeep. With that in mind, I considered it patriotic duty (not to mention job obligation) to flee my safe, sterile office cube and attend three days of monster truck action at the sixth-annual Camp Jeep festival, held this year in Charlottesville, VA.

I’ve always been ambivalent toward Jeeps. One day back when I was a kid, my father let me drive the old World War II-era model that we used for yard work. I hopped behind the wheel with visions of The Dukes of Hazzard burning rubber in my head, popped it into first gear, and promptly crunched over a giant boulder in the driveway, tipping up on two wheels and skidding down a steep bank before fishtailing back onto the driveway. We drove back to the barn in white-knuckled, tight-lipped silence, and my father reminded me of the incident – 20 years after the fact – when I mentioned my Camp Jeep assignment.

What I should have realized then, but do realize now, is that the fact that the Jeep didn’t roll over and turn us into ink spots was testimony to its capabilities.

But that’s a testimony that many actual Jeep owners don’t realize, either, and one of the main motivations behind the three-day Camp Jeep. “Research shows that 80 percent of Jeep owners don’t take their vehicle off-road,” says Lou Bitonti, senior manager for Jeep Direct Marketing and founder of the Camp Jeep program. “Camp Jeep is designed to take them out of their comfort zone. That’s the advantage of a live event like this over a television campaign – this is a hands-on experience.”

Serious off-trail roads surround the Camp Jeep compound, and even less-intensive courses such as Jeep 101 give owners a taste of navigating terrain more daunting than a pothole. On Day 1, I signed up for the “Exclusive Media Trail: Scenic.” Scenic – aka, easy – is a relative term when you’re dealing with off-road novices. I hopped into a spanking new Cherokee, and was asked if I could chauffeur a reporter from 4-Wheeler magazine who wanted to take pictures. Figuring I needed a co-pilot who knew what he was doing, I readily agreed.

After grinding the gears before shoving the stick into 4-wheel drive, we embarked on a fairly routine trail that inevitably ran into a river bank, where the fun began. I inched my Cherokee to the edge of the river, while Jeep staff yelled out instructions. It felt like we were going to roll over, but with my heart (and lunch) in my mouth, I slammed down the bank, forded the river, and gunned up the other side. “Nice job,” my co-pilot said, as I ecstatically bounced around in the driver’s seat.

That feeling lasted until we came to the second river bank, a 20-foot vertical plunge with a twisting, rising bank on the other side. “You want to give it a shot?” I asked my co-pilot. “No, I think I’ll get some more pictures,” he said as he bailed out the passenger door. I tipped the Cherokee over the edge, at which point sky and ground disappeared and all I could see was hood. I slammed down the bank, forded the river, and shot up the other side like a pro. My antipathy for Jeeps had suddenly dissolved, and I caught myself wondering if I could swing the monthly nut on a Grand Cherokee.

The Proud and Not So Few Jeep realizes this kind of experience can sway buyers more effectively than a lifetime of TV spots. And it can turn casual owners into lifers. However, the program’s logistics are too complicated to allow it to be held more than once a year, so the festival caters primarily to dedicated Jeep drivers. (To fill the gap, Jeep runs road shows such as Jeep Jamboree and Jeep 101 that travel across the country, exposing potential buyers to four-wheeling.) In the crowded SUV market, Camp Jeep provides Daimler-Chrysler with some distinction. It’s hard to imagine the upscale Land Rover crowd driving cross-country for the privilege of coating their personal vehicles with Virginia mud.

Back at Camp Jeep, it quickly became apparent how fiercely loyal attendees are to the brand, and how they consider themselves part of a distinctive club. Slogans on T-shirts, license plates, and banners read, “It’s a Jeep thing. You wouldn’t understand.” And if you haven’t attended, you probably don’t.

Camp Jeep 2000 drew 2,500 vehicles filled with approximately 8,000 attendees who paid $275 per Jeep (you can stuff as many family members as you’d like inside) for the opportunity to storm through the bush and rub elbows with Jeep management and a few celebrities. And once they get there, they pay for their own food and lodging as well.

“We just bought a Grand Cherokee and we received a flyer for Camp Jeep in the mail,” says Christine Lyons of North Carolina, attending with her husband Matt. “It seemed like the thing to do. You get to talk to other Jeep owners and drive other models.”

Within the attendee ranks, there’s a hierarchy. Owners sporting Camp Jeep 1995 T-shirts are treated with more respect than “cherries” sporting the current version. An average of 10 percent to 12 percent of attendees are returnees each year, according to Bitonti.

Owners are solicited for the event through a direct-mail campaign handled by Chicago-based ad agency FCB Worldwide and its 1-2-1 Marketing unit, which have won industry awards for their efforts in the last two years. But more than 1,000 attendees registered online this year before the mailings were even sent, according to Bitonti.

Attendees included representatives from all 50 states as well as drivers from Europe, India, and Guam – even though most marketing goes to owners living within 100 miles of the campsite.

“We’re from Cleveland, and there’s not much off-roading up there,” says 20-year-old Adam Matisko. “Everyone here has a common interest, and if you’ve got to drive 10 hours to be a part of this, you drive 10 hours.”

Anyone Bored Is Dead Camp Jeep is geared toward family fun. That means no smoking and no booze. Most attendees were either families or couples in their 20s. “It’s the perfect family outing,” says Deborah Gallant, 40, a veteran of previous Camp Jeeps who traveled with her family from nearby Richmond. “It’s organized very well, and people are so friendly.”

Activities vary widely. You can go to the “Fly Casting Clinic,” the “Carve a Walking Stick Workshop,” or go “Tubing Down the James River.” My next stop after the four-wheeling turned out be another adventure. As would be expected, the “Volleyball Seminar with Gabrielle Reece” was mobbed with college kids and beach bums who wanted a chance to meet the attractive star. While friendly and encouraging, Gabrielle wasn’t screwing around. We hustled around the sandpit like the first day of boot camp. And Reece’s encouraging calls of “Nice try” weren’t much comfort after you’ve spiked the ball right into the net in front of thousands of people.

In addition to the leisure activities, Camp Jeep features numerous discussion groups between Jeep staffers and drivers with names like “Grand Cherokee Engineering Roundtable.” Since most attendees are already committed Jeep owners, the atmosphere is less of a revival meeting and more an exchange of ideas. Conversations can get extremely technical, such as chats about the nuances of ABS brakes or how to detail the winch system. “We enjoy the camaraderie,” says Ned Kodeck, a five-year Camp Jeep alumnus from Colorado. “We also enjoy the roundtables – you can see problems becoming solutions.”

One popular attraction among the scores of activities offered is the “World of Jeep” tent, a hands-on tour of the brand’s past, present, and future featuring current models, prototypes, and Jeeps throughout history. “This is a playground for adults,” adds Tom Matisko, Adam’s 24-year-old brother. “I like being able to climb into the different vehicles.”

When Jeep Comes to Town Camp Jeep’s staff members totaled 600, including the Daimler-Chrysler contingent as well as about 120 vendors who provide products, services, and activities. To keep it simple, all workers are united under the Camp Jeep brand. “I told everyone that, for the next three days, they’ll only know you as Jeep,” said Bitonti.

Vendors provide activities such as model plane demonstrations, paintball games, rock climbing, and the Historic Virginia Village, in which recreators demonstrate colonial skills such as blacksmithing, gunsmithing, and dancing. August is the slow period for the Virginia tourist trade, and Camp Jeep pumps more than $3 million into the local economy.

Jeep also signed on about 60 national marketing partners this year, including 35 magazine sponsors such as Southern Living (which hosted cooking demonstrations). Other partners included publisher Conde Nast (which sponsored the Reece clinic), National Geographic (photography presentations) and Ski Magazine (Super Slalom seminars). Kawasaki offered free ATV rides, and although the bikes were tweaked to go a mere 12 miles per hour, it looked as if the brand might have recruited some new fans. I even swung by Martha Stewart’s tent, and was rewarded with a homemade cookie.

Looking to keep Camp Jeep fresh and give all owners a chance to attend, Daimler-Chrysler is considering moving the venue to upstate New York or Vermont in the future, but is also likely to return to the original site in Colorado.

The company is also experimenting with events abroad. In 1999, Daimler-Chrysler held the first Camp Jeep Europe in France, inviting participants from eight countries. While plans aren’t confirmed, Bitonti says they’ll probably go abroad again.

On the final day, I stretched out on my complimentary Jeep bedroll and enjoyed a concert staged by the Camp Jeep staff celebrating Motown, country, and swing music. The festivities wrapped up with an appearance by the Goodyear Blimp and a fireworks show that included more than 2,300 shells.

As attendees filed out to their cars, the crowd buzzed about signing up for next year’s event. To my surprise, so did I.

Guess I’ll have to buy a Jeep first.

Shakeup puts former toy maker in charge. The Dial Corp., Scottsdale, AZ, in September named packaged goods veteran Herb Baum president-ceo to replace Malcolm Jozoff in a move aimed at turning around the company’s recent poor performance.

Baum had been president-ceo of toy maker Hasbro for the last 18 months. He headed up Quaker State Oil Co. for six years before that, and also spent 15 years at Campbell Soup Co., including a turn as president-ceo.

Dial needs a firm hand to rebuild operations. Jozoff and exec vp-cfo Susan Riley resigned earlier this month as the company warned analysts it wouldn’t meet earnings estimates for 2000.

“Getting Dial back on track will be a challenge, but I have a lot to work with, including superb brands, strong consumer appeal, growing market shares for many of our products, good trade relations, a sound balance sheet, solid management personnel, and committed employees,” Baum said in a statement. He added that he’s begun reviewing the business, and that there “will be no sacred cows.”

Brands include flagship Dial soap, Purex laundry detergent, Renuzit air freshener, Armour Star canned meat, Freeman Cosmetics, and Nature’s Accents personal care products.