Bauer Power

Brandweek, July 5, 1999 by Jeff Green

To leverage the tie, Ford makes a point to have models wear Eddie Bauer clothing in its catalogues, and the Eddie Bauer SUVs frequently appear in company photos because they photograph well and present a good image.

On the more active promotional front, though, the partners have taken their time in evolving the range of activities they will jointly undertake. One of the largest Eddie Bauer/Ford promos--and certainly Eddie Bauer's biggest in-store event--to date was a just-concluded Father's Day program in June, deemed successful enough to prompt the partners to broaden the scope of their co-promotions in the future. The scratch-and-win promo offering chances at five Eddie Bauer Explorers was advertised in each store--including a near-full-size poster of an Explorer towering over the registers in a Chicago store--and supported by newspaper and direct mail campaigns. As part of the promo, Bauer displayed 200 of the specially badged SUVs at malls around the U.S. Two of its larger stores also displayed SUVs; at various times, as many as six stores have had SUVs parked inside.

"The marketing relationship is definitely getting better over time," Scott said. Recent expansions of the Eddie Bauer line into golf and the continued development of the "EB Tech" line of high-end outdoor gear may provide platforms for future Ford promotional efforts.

Still, there are limits to how far the partners will go to exploit the tie. For one, it's rarely a centerpiece of advertising for Ford, which tends to focus on the division, not the particular vehicle, said Joe DeMiglio, JWT partner and head of the Ford account.

The depth of the assimilation of Eddie Bauer into the Ford customer culture was clear when Ford launched the Expedition with an Eddie Bauer package, Scott said.

The relationship remains focused on SUVs. The company no longer offers an Eddie Bauer pickup. And not even all of Ford's SUVs will carry the Eddie Bauer designation. The new behemoth Ford SUV Excursion will not have an Eddie Bauer version, at least at launch, given its lower anticipated volume of 60,000 units, which would make maintaining more than three trim levels unwieldy.

While the partners won't disclose how long they anticipate the relationship will endure in a constantly changing marketplace. Perinchief is hopeful it will see the two millionth Eddie Bauer SUV. "I certainly see this relationship enduring and evolving, he said.

Program:

Marketers:

Ford Motor/Eddie Bauer co-branding

Agency:

Ford, Dearborn, Mich., Bauer, Redmond, Wash.

Key players:

J. Walter Thompson, Detroit (Ford)

Bauer:Don Perinchief, up-licensing & new business

Ford: J. C. Collins, Ford div. SUV brand mgr; Doug Scott, Explorer brand mgr; Jan Klug, Ford div. mktg communications mgr.