Chrysler, Ford among automakers forging new cross-brand promotions

Posted 7:40AM on Tuesday 8th January 2002 ( 23 years ago )

DETROIT - As automakers look to strengthen their brands and stand out from the crowd, several new concept vehicles illustrate how companies are forging alliances outside the industry to accomplish their goals. From DaimlerChrysler AG's Chrysler Group to Ford Motor Co., presentations at the North American International Auto Show include familiar names that might not usually take center stage in the Motor City. And these cross promotions illustrate more of what some say is needed as automakers strive to compete. "By linking up with some of these brands, if you do it right and you're credible -- and it has to be a credible link -- you can be instantly cool," said Wes Brown, an analyst with Nextrend of Thousand Oaks, Calif. On Monday, Chrysler debuted the Dodge Razor, a concept car that looks like an expensive sports car and stands out with its bright "Orange Slice" color. The Razor name is used under a licensing agreement between Chrysler and Razor USA, a company best known for its popular scooters. "We get our ideas on the street," Trevor Creed, Chrysler's senior vice president of design, said Monday. "Our best ideas and inspirations come from observing what's happening on the streets and the highways of America. Our inspiration this year came from our observations of younger Americans." A day earlier, Ford Motor Co. brought childhood memories to the stage with the Mighty F-350 TONKA concept. Designed to draw attention to possibilities for Ford's F-Series line of trucks, its yellow hue is a tribute to the toy line that loaned it the TONKA name. "The Mighty F-350 TONKA makes an emotional connection between the beloved metal toy that's able to withstand the toughest play and the generation of Ford trucks millions have counted on," said J Mays, vice president of design for Ford. TONKA made is first trucks in 1947 on the premise that a toy should be durable and provide as much opportunity for play as possible. More than 250 million trucks later, TONKA vehicles are designed with the same ideals in mind -- and Ford can hope to capitalize on that connection. While cross-branding is nothing new for the auto industry -- Ford's earlier team-up with clothier Eddie Bauer for a sport-utility vehicle is one example -- it hasn't caught on as well as elsewhere, Brown said. As companies look to market to brand conscious youth, he said, such promotions become more important. Chrysler's concepts are inspired by youth culture and aimed at what it calls "millennial buyers" -- those who are now between 12-24 years old and represent the next emerging consumer group. If cars like the Razor get made, it will happen at good a time for these consumers to fork over the target price of $14,500. "What we're doing with these concepts is getting a head start on the marketplace," Creed said. "Our goal is to have affordable, useful products in place, ready for sale when these young people arrive, driver's licenses in hand." Dodge approached Razor USA about using the name, which initially was the code name for the concept car while in the design phase. Carlton Calvin, president of Razor USA, said his company gets some obvious benefits from the deal. "It keeps reminding them that Razor is connected with incredible innovation and beautiful design, which was sort of how we were born," Calvin said. "Every time we can get associated with a glamorous product I think it helps Razor." The Dodge Razor's classic sports coupe design may be the kind of car that will appeal to Razor USA's customers, Calvin said. The company hopes to use the car in its own promotions and develop a long-term relationship with Chrysler. "I think it's awesome," Calvin said of the Dodge Razor. "I think that it really speaks to the same kind of people who buy our scooter. They want really high performance but simple, and that's sort of the way that the Razor is."

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