Jeep Wrangler Rubicon X to appear in new 'Mission: Impossible' with Tom Cruise
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'Mission: Impossible 8': Tom Cruise saves day at sea and in skies
Superspy Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) needs to stop a rogue AI from taking over the world in "Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning."
Stellantis and Paramount Pictures put together a collaborative ad campaign, placing Jeep vehicles in the final film of the action movie franchise, "Mission: Impossible".
Tom Cruise's character, Ethan Hunt, will be behind the wheel of a Jeep Wrangler 4xe.
Along with the product placements, Jeep and Paramount will run a 30-second ad promoting their vehicles as well as the film.
In the "Mission: Impossible" franchise, Tom Cruise has been behind the wheel of (or sliding over, or hanging atop) a slew of different vehicles. This summer, as his daredevil character Ethan Hunt, Cruise will be driving a Jeep.
"Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning," the final installment of the film franchise, is partnering with Jeep in a collaborative ad campaign, including product placements in the movie.
The film, which will release in theaters May 23, will feature Tom Cruise behind the wheel of a Jeep Wrangler 4xe, Stellantis said. Along with Jeep vehicles being featured in the movie, Stellantis and Paramount Pictures will also run a 30-second ad to promote both the cars and the film.
The ad will run on TV and social media networks, including baseball, basketball and golf broadcasts, Stellantis said in a statement.
'Our mission, and we chose to accept it, was to collaborate with the Jeep team on a partnership campaign that encompasses the shared tenets of both brands, namely pulse-pounding action-adventure and authentic fun," Michelle Hagen, Paramount's executive vice president of worldwide brand partnerships, said in the statement.
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In a commercial promoting the Jeep brand and the film, prospective Jeep buyers drop from the ceiling on wires over a Jeep Wrangler Rubicon X — an homage to Cruise's wire scene from the first "Mission: Impossible" film. The ad cuts to scenes from the upcoming movie of Cruise drifting and flipping a Wrangler.
How effective are product placements?
Ayalla Ruvio, an associate dean and marketing professor at Michigan State University's Broad School of Business, said the combination of Jeep's brand aesthetics with the action-packed film is a perfect match.
"The target market of Jeep is a very specific target market. Jeep drivers are very loyal to their cars. They see themselves in a very specific way: Off-roading racers, adventurous types of people," Ruvio said. "And putting the Jeep in this specific movie only strengthens that perception and that community."
Ruvio said product placements in movies can go a long way for brands if they're done correctly.
"How effective is product placement if done correctly? It is very effective," Ruvio said. "I mean, if you think about 'Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend' and Marilyn Monroe, in that movie and with that song, she basically changed the industry of diamonds for generations to come."
The correlation between the Jeep brand and "Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning" may not be as strong as Monroe to diamonds, but Ruvio said it could emphasize Jeep's position as a rebellious and action-focused automaker.
"People will not come to the movie just to see a Jeep on screen, right? And people will not buy a Jeep just because of the movie," Ruvio said. "But it is that combination that makes a difference for the brand."
Liam Rappleye covers Stellantis. Contact him: LRappleye@freepress.com
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