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FOR RELEASE: 2005-08-25

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HUMMERS and Monsters and Bears ... Oh My!

New humorous TV spots uphold HUMMER's reputation for cutting-edge advertising

DETROIT – In its continuing mission to offer creative advertising that is “Like Nothing Else,” HUMMER this week debuts two new TV spots which take an unusual approach to automotive advertising. The TV spots are titled “Monsters” and “Bears.”

“Monsters” was created in the genre of a monster movie with a twist. In the spot, two giant creatures, one a monster and the other a robot, are moving through a cityscape. The two confront each other, but instead of fighting they fall in love. After their eyes meet, they walk off hand-in-hand and gaze up at the moon on a starry night. But then the unthinkable happens – the female monster becomes pregnant and gives birth to a “Little Monster,” a red H3, HUMMER's new midsize SUV. “Monsters” is set to the tune “Love is Strange” by Everything But The Girl.

“We’re going to continue to push the envelope,” says Liz Vanzura, HUMMER’s global marketing director. “We know that HUMMER owners love their trucks and this is another way that we can surprise and delight them.” The “Monsters” spot uses emotion in an amusing and unexpected way to spin an unconventional love story around a new HUMMER, while also conveying the H3’s more “rational” traits, such as toughness and agility.

The spot was created by Modernista! of Boston. "HUMMER is an amazing brand to work with, and we can go places where other brands can only dream of going,” says Lance Jensen, Modernista’s co-founder and executive creative director. “Monsters” will debut during the MTV Video Music Awards on August 28 and will air subsequently on other edgy, contextually relevant programming. The spot will be posted on the http://www.hummer.com website.

A second humorous TV spot titled “Bears” began airing earlier this week. “Bears” is a modern spin on the familiar “Three Bears” children’s story. A family of bears is shown returning, suitcases in tow, to their modern, mid-century home after being away on vacation. They discover that someone has sat in their living room, made a mess in their kitchen and slept in their beds. The three quickly scurry out to their three-car garage to see whether their vehicles are still there. The first garage door goes up, revealing Papa Bear's H1 Alpha is safe and sound. A second door lifts, showing Mama Bear's H2 is also where it should be. Finally, the third door reveals an empty garage bay, which greatly upsets poor Baby Bear. His H3 is gone. Seconds later we see a modern-day “Goldilocks” driving happily away in Baby Bear’s H3. The ad is available for viewing at http://www.hummer.com.
“This spot showcases our portfolio of vehicles and confirms the relative size and fun-to-drive attitude of the new H3,” says Vanzura. Trivia buffs might be interested to know that the sprawling California home where “Bears” was filmed was once owned by Lucille Ball, lived in by Frank Sinatra and a famous photograph of Marilyn Monroe was taken poolside there. The home has also been featured in numerous film and TV projects, including this year’s remake of Bewitched.

Sales of the HUMMER H3 are off to a strong start since it went on sale in May. Dealers sold 4,664 H3s in July, a 21 percent increase from the number sold in June. This is particularly noteworthy, given that the H3 was not included in the GM Employee Discount for Everyone program. Los Angeles, San Francisco and New York are the top-three markets for HUMMER H3 sales to date. Last month HUMMER Division surpassed its best-ever July sales record with 7,476 deliveries, a 210 percent improvement. Deliveries of the H2 were also up 16 percent compared to year-ago levels.

The all-new 2006 HUMMER H3 delivers authentic HUMMER style and off-road capability in a more approachable and fuel-efficient package. Just as the legendary H1 and H2 did in the full-size segment, the H3 is poised to become a leader in off-road capability among midsize sport utilities. Roughly the same length as a midsize family sedan, H3 comfortably navigates city traffic and delivers HUMMER's trademark incredible crawling and climbing capability.