Kalamazoo-raised baseball star Derek Jeter and his wife, Hannah, are back promoting the Grand Wagoneer SUV for Jeep maker Stellantis NV.
The new ad campaign that launches Tuesday dubbed “Drove All Night” features Derek Jeter driving in a Grand Wagoneer to make it home safely to his family.
“I grew up in Michigan a couple hours from where Jeeps are built,” Derek Jeter said during a virtual briefing. “I’m well aware of the values of the brand, and they align perfectly with not only ours as parents, but how we want our kids to be, as well.”
The spot is a part of a multi-year partnership with the couple announced last year, the financial details of which haven’t been shared. Jim Morrison, head of Jeep in North America, said the collaboration helped to increase consumer awareness of the Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer on par with competitors. The nameplates returned for the 2022 model year after a more than 30-year hiatus as Jeep entered the full-size SUV space to compete with the likes of the Chevrolet Suburban and Ford Expedition as well as the luxury Cadillac Escalade and Lincoln Navigator.
In the first half of 2023, however, sales of the Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer decreased, declining 21% and 26%, respectively, more than the 12% overall drop for the Jeep brand. The drop comes after Stellantis last fall cut the third shift at the Warren Truck Assembly Plant that builds the vehicles because of parts shortages and to address quality concerns.
“We’re looking for continued growth with Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer,” Morrison said. “I’m happy to report that although we did have sales down in the first half of the year for Grand Wagoneer/Wagoneer, if you dissect it a little bit and look at the plant as it’s helping ramp up, we’re up 49%, almost 50% in Q2 versus Q1. So, the plant was was running very low-volume as we focused on quality, and now the plant is being able to ramp up, and they’re continuing to improve quality and output right here in Detroit. So, very happy to report that we continue to see growth.”
He added that a majority of Wagoneer sales are conquests from other vehicle brands.
The Jeters themselves say the partnership feels “authentic” to who they are as parents and a family. Hannah Jeter, a former tennis player who is now a model and television host, grew up in Saint Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands, where her father owned a Jeep Wrangler SUV. Her mother drives a Jeep Cherokee.
“It’s a very small island with pretty windy, treacherous roads,” she said. “The fact that those cars can handle that type of terrain is just a testament to the brand.”
The Jeters themselves designed their own Grand Wagoneer. The couple highlighted the three rows and spaciousness of the SUV for car seats and their four children. It’s caught on: Derek Jeter said during a back-to-school orientation, he mistook an identical Grand Wagoneer in the parking lot for his own.
“We like to have long-term relationships,” he said. “And we like to partner with with companies and products that we believe in, and hopefully we’re with Jeep for many years to come.”
That emphasis on family made the Jeters ideal ambassadors for the vehicle, said Marissa Hunter, senior vice president of marketing in North America.
“Their commitment to being present for their family in big and small ways, ensuring that their work obligations ended when they needed to get back to their kids to ensure they were tucked safely into bed,” she said. “Truth be told, the folks they had to tell them to wrap it up on set more than one occasion — well, yes, that was us. … A product of such character deserves ambassadors of great character.”
bnoble@detroitnews.com
Twitter: @BreanaCNoble