UPDATE III: I just found an ad from the January 4, 1947, issue of Time Magazine that includes a “Get a ‘Jeep'” campaign. It’s on eBay.
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(April 09, 2019) UPDATE II: There was at least one GET A ‘JEEP’ mailer that was distributed to current and potential jeep owners.
UPDATE: As Terry pointed out, the GET A ‘JEEP’ campaign was likely a play off of the popular phrase Get a horse, the popular cry that greeted almost every automobile which appeared on the roads during the early years of the automobile. A 1930 article from the Saturday Evening Post also highlights the use of this phrase.
Starting in January of 1946, Willy’s Overland introduced the GET A ‘JEEP’ phrase to their Collier’s and Saturday Evening Post full-page ad campaign.
Examples of the GET A ‘JEEP’ campaign in the full page ads of the Saturday Evening Post.
The company also introduced a subtler GET A ‘JEEP’ magazine marketing strategy in the form of small cartoons.
So far, I’ve only identified the publishing date of one cartoon, but I’m sure with time we can identify the others. As of a November 13, 1946, the cartoon ad campaign was still being used, but the December 14, 1946, full-page ad does not include that phrase.
- This GET A ‘JEEP’ ad appeared in the October 12, 1946, issue of Collier’s Magazine. Strangely, the only attribution is the “A product of WILLYS-OVERLAND MOTORS”. My conclusion is that this was a sneakier “ad” for the new jeep.
2. This version of the ad was published in a 1946 magazine. The cartoon print is available on eBay.
3. This one was found on Pinterest:
4. I’d published this one a few years ago. It was being sold on eBay.
5. This was posted on eBay for sale and labeled a 1946 ad:
I’d like to get a hold of the third print and make it at least 8.5″x11″.
The Jeep is going 35 mph but yet they are having a conversation. No yelling. And anybody who’s spent any time in a Jeep in the middle of the winter knows even with a heater you are cold, yet alone with doors and windows open.
Very interesting!
Until reading this post, I did not realize that the “Get A Jeep!” postcards were part of a larger marketing scheme (which was apparently fairly short-lived).
Bob: I’ll let you know when I find it in a magazine.
Maury: I didn’t know these came in postcards. I’ve only seen them as a part of magazines so far. I only stumbled upon this by accident yesterday. I was looking for information on one of the cartoons, stumbled on a second cartoon, then did a search for “Get A Jeep” to find more cartoons and not only found two more cartoons, but also found one of the big ads. That’s when it dawned on me that these cartoons were part of a larger campaign. I didn’t mention above that this campaign only seems related to the CJ-2A. I haven’t found the “Get A Jeep” connected with any 1946 mid-summer wagon ads yet.
get a jeep ? — already got one ? — excuse me , 20 + of em …
Rusty
What you got? Anything nice? How about a few pictures?
The “get a jeep ” phrase is a take- off on the old early 20th century phrase “get a horse ‘ that was common in use and in print . People who would pass a broke-down auto or one stuck in the mud, yelled , “Get a horse ” to early motorists .
Terry, I’ve never heard that. Very interesting! … Here’s another reference to it, “Those were the years in which the popular cry, “Get a Horse!” greeted almost every automobile which appeared on the roads.” (http://www.americanautohistory.com/Articles/Article005.htm)
Did Willys employ punctuation police? Every example printed here uses those single quotation marks where Jeep appears. ie ‘Jeep’ Can anyone take me to skool on why? The result of nuns w/their grammar hammers? Or some sort of trademark hoo hah?
Bingo,
I’ll be covering the JEEP, “JEEP”, and ‘JEEP’ in an upcoming post.
– Dave
I had no idea! I saw one ad and made a bumper sticker. I have some left if anyone wants one.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/9ECXXsgdET5T714H9
I’ll trade you an eWillys sticker for your Get a Jeep sticker … email me at d@deilers.com.
Single quotation marks are used when a quote is contained in another quote or, often to enclose technical terms or coined words (like, jeep ) or trade names and shop jargon.
Terry,
Or, when you are having to complete a post, but need to get on with your day, and have forgotten which rules apply … then it is pure punctuation mark anarchy! 🙂
– Dave