Jeep And Marvel Unite To Celebrate America250 With A Special Edition Jeep Wrangler & Comic Cover

Welcome to the table,

 

Brand collaboration is at the heart of many of the most eye-catching marketing pushes over recent years. Akin to mixing “the chocolate with the peanut butter,” the leveraging of a beloved intellectual property with a product or service that is well-trusted and globally respected is the perfect recipe for capturing whimsy and wonder in the current pop culture landscape.

My series Just The Specials was forged in celebration of those magical moments where two things you enjoy come together to craft something new and fun. While that is a food focused feature, my love of collaborative branding does not stop at the dinner plate.

Let me tell you about this rad new collaboration between Jeep and Marvel Comics.

 

 

As Jeep marks 25 consecutive years as “America’s most patriotic brand,” the off-road adventure vehicle manufacture and Marvel have announced a sweeping marketing campaign uniting the Jeep Wrangler and Captain America.

 

 

Both born in 1941 and shaped by a shared legacy of courage, adventure, freedom, and service, Jeep and Marvel are merging storytelling and entertainment to create a one-of-a-kind collaboration that celebrates their storied 85-year legacies.

“As the nation celebrates its 250th anniversary — and Jeep marks 25 consecutive years as America’s most patriotic brand — we wanted to do something more meaningful and distinctly Jeep than simply adding an American flag,” said Olivier François, global chief marketing officer, Stellantis. “The Jeep Wrangler has long been regarded as an enduring symbol of freedom around the world, and this moment called for an expression worthy of that legacy.

 

 

“We teamed up with Marvel to bring the Captain America shield — one of the most iconic symbols in pop culture — directly onto the vehicle as a tire cover of the Jeep Wrangler A250 edition. In doing so, we flipped the usual model: instead of product inspiring marketing, marketing inspired the product.”

 

 

From what François relayed during the press conference, Captain America’s shield was something he had been envisaging as a tire cover for some time now, so I’m sure seeing this come into being in this way has got to feel like a win.

 

 

“This collaboration celebrates two icons born from the same era and rooted in strength and purpose,” said Holly Frank, VP, global marketing partnerships & promotions, Disney. “We’re thrilled to be working with Jeep to celebrate that shared legacy, while also looking toward the future and an epic new era of storytelling with Avengers: Doomsday later this year.”

 

 

“As we prepare to mark America’s 250th birthday, our partnership with the Jeep brand reflects our shared belief in the power of freedom and the enduring call to adventure,” said Rosie Rios, chair of America250. “These values have shaped our nation since its earliest days and continue to inspire us as we celebrate our country’s historic milestone and look to the future.”

 

 

What really caught my interest — aside from the really cool Jeep — was that as part of the America250 celebration, Jeep and Marvel Comics have collaborated on an original limited-edition cover for a reprinted 1776 #1. The exclusive comic book cover with two Captain Americas and the Jeep Wrangler A250 special edition, featuring the Captain America shield tire cover, will come with the purchase of the vehicle.

That is one heck of a jewel in someone’s comic collection! The only way to get this outside the secondary market is to purchase this particular Jeep.

We were also informed that the collaboration extends beyond product and into creative and content initiatives. The purpose of the campaign is to reframe heroism by spotlighting actual US military veterans — the real-life men and women whose missions Jeep vehicles once supported on the front lines — and reinforcing the idea that “heroism is not fictional, it is forged through service, selflessness, and courage.”

Until next time, this is a really cool thing to see coming together as it pulls bits of pop culture, vehicular design, and the celebration of actual veterans who served. I’m curious to see what comes next as part of the larger campaign and America250 celebration.