• by Karl Greenberg , March 13, 2007

Saturn is pitching its new Aura sedan and Outlook crossover vehicles to health-conscious consumers via a cross-promotional relationship with magazine publisher Rodale, Inc.

The effort, "Detour: New Roads to Fitness," gives Saturn and GM sponsorship of an online health and fitness campaign at www.FindYourDetour.com, print inserts in a number of Rodale books and direct-marketing efforts.

The Web site promotes activities like snowboarding, kickboxing, yoga and skiing, and features Saturn advertising banners for Aura and Outlook, plus links to GM. The site also serves as a consumer kiosk with user chats and blogs, as well as RSS feeds, and podcasts on health and fitness issues.

Rodale will run a print-insert campaign in April issues of Men's Health, Women's Health, Best Life, Backpacker, Prevention, Bicycling, Runner's World, and other Rodale publications. Further print efforts and direct marketing will continue throughout the year. Rodale also inked a deal with AOL in which the latter will support the program with promotional elements within its health and fitness channels.

Although Saturn changed agencies in January from Goodby, Silverstein and Partners, San Francisco, to Deutsch, Marina Del Rey, Calif., the program--at least in its initial phases--involved Goodby as well as GM Planworks, the automaker's media buyer.

MaryAnn Bekkedahl, EVP/group publisher at Rodale, says the company handled creative duties for the Web and print inserts, in consultation with Saturn's erstwhile agency. Bekkedahl says the program, with its focus on wellness and online community-building, centers on the latter two pillars of Saturn's brand focus on emerging music, health and wellness, and early adopters of technology.

She adds that the media buy reflects an ecumenical approach. "GM did not want to dive too deeply into any one sport," she says. "They weren't interested in sponsoring a cycling team. Secondarily, they wanted Saturn to continue to be recognized and be carved as the 'digital' division of GM."

She added that the reorganization of GM Planworks last November (in which Mary Carpenter became the new president of strategy and operations, and New York-based Mike Rosen became the president of investment and activation; and which involved the integration of sports, entertainment, multicultural and enrichment practices), made such a program easier to organize than it had been in the past. "Everyone was in the room together. It was wonderful and creative," she says.

Bekkedahl says that new elements of the year-long campaign will be developed with Deutsch and that experiential recreational and fitness events at Saturn retailers are also in the works.