Last Thursday evening, the redesigned, next-generation Jeep Cherokee launched with an influencer-heavy celebration in Brooklyn’s Domino Park. The day after its reveal, Jeep handed over the keys to two versions of the SUV to content creators who took them away from the Williamsburg area to create their own 30-second Jeep commercials.
The move is part of Jeep’s campaign to market the Cherokee as “America’s original influencer” and ties into the company’s promotion in conjunction with the Kansas City Chiefs vs. Los Angeles Chargers NFL game in São Paulo, Brazil, on September 5. That game will be exclusively broadcast on YouTube. Brazil is Jeep’s second-largest market behind North America.
“If we’re going to be having this key message about Cherokee being the original influencer, and really lean into the work of social media influencers to carry the story in New York, a natural next step would be to be integrated into that game as a media placement,” Wendy Orthman, vice president of brand marketing and communications at Jeep, told Newsweek.
Orthman’s team leaned into the new-age media theme of the event. They began to, “think about how we show up creatively, to feel a little more native to the YouTube platform, so we’re not just showing up with our own creative, but also creative created by influencers that are deeply involved in social with big followings,” she said.
Jeep and its agency partners have been hands-on throughout the content creation process. They chose the influencers, Carter Kench (17.3 million social media followers) and Haley Kalil (15 million followers and 2 billion likes across multiple platforms under the username @haleyybaylee), ensuring that they were a positive reflection on the brand and a good fit. “But, we wanted to make sure that it came across in their voice and in their creative signatures. I would say we’ve tried to be as flexible as we can, to allow them to really create this something that’s going to be really reflective of their style, so it’s going to feel authentic, which is really important,” Orthman explained.
The move was not without its risks. As of Monday morning, Orthman still hadn’t seen any footage.
The 30-second spot that the content creators jointly produced will be joined by a 60-second spot Jeep launched at the Cherokee’s debut, which features LL Cool J.
“For any brand that’s trying to connect with customers, you have to go where customers are and where they’re getting their information. What makes it exciting to be in the marketing space right now is that it’s a constant evolution every few months. Where people are getting their information and how they are collecting information changes just a little – social media and all the various platforms and all the different iterations in this constantly developing and changing landscape,” she said.
“It’s important for any modern marketing department, to be able to find our communities, where they are, where they’re collecting both information from a practical perspective about our vehicles, but also who the people are that they’re looking up to, to get the vibe on what’s cool and what is authentic in the space.
“That’s a constant challenge for all people in my role, but important for a brand like Jeep. It’s all about authenticity, making sure that you’re finding the right places to have real conversations, and that we’re not only buying in traditional spaces as we try to continue to reach a new audience, and that validation of a younger demographic, that Jeep remains the brand that’s always been the one that defines off road adventure,” Orthman continued.
Not only is Jeep looking to expand its brand, the NFL is too. The sports organization has spread its footprint globally and is working to broaden its audience. “Building on our global growth ambitions, the ability to reach fans around the world has become a key part of our media strategy. YouTube represents an incredible partner to help us deliver our game in São Paulo for free to all types of viewers around the world – not only die-hard NFL fans but also those who might be experiencing our sport for the first time. We are really excited for the opportunity,” Hans Schroeder, executive vice president of media distribution at the NFL, told Newsweek.
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