Derek and Hannah Jeter appear in the “Drove All Night” ad campaign, the next evolution of their Grand Wagoneer partnership.
New York Yankees legend Derek Jeter and his wife, Hannah Jeter, are back for another Jeep Grand Wagoneer ad campaign.
The Stellantis brand launched a multiyear partnership with the couple to promote the Grand Wagoneer last October.
The new 30-second TV spot, "Drove All Night," shows Derek's flight getting grounded because of bad weather. To get to his family as soon as he can, Jeter jumps into the Grand Wagoneer L, braves the storm and gets home in time to take his children to school.
The campaign is the latest in a run of new Jeep spots as the brand works to regain sales momentum in the U.S. for its marquee nameplates. A Grand Cherokee 4xe ad launched last week, and a high-energy global Wrangler campaign began in late August.
U.S. sales for the Grand Wagoneer slipped 26 percent through June. Sales data for the longer-wheelbase L models aren't reported separately.
The Jeter spot will run across broadcast and cable channels, including during NCAA and NFL football games in addition to MLB games. It was created by the Jeep brand in partnership with Highdive agency of Chicago.
"Here, our marketing will be mainly driven by conquest," Stellantis marketing chief Olivier Francois said during a media preview of the ad Aug. 29. "We want to give buyers the chance to discover and meet the car for the very first time."
Jeep North America head Jim Morrison said the Wagoneer lineup has been dealing with low production volume, but he said there was sales growth in the second quarter.
Morrison said the majority of sales for the large SUVs are conquests.
"Happy to report that although we did have sales down in the first half of the year for Grand Wagoneer and Wagoneer, if you dissect it a little bit and look at the plant as it's helping ramp up, we're up 49 percent or almost 50 percent in Q2 versus Q1," Morrison said. "So the plant was running very low volume as we focused on quality, and now the plant is being able to ramp up and continuing to improve quality and output right here in Detroit."
Marissa Hunter, senior vice president of marketing for Stellantis North America, said the commercial was inspired by conversations with the Jeters. She said the couple has a "commitment to being present for their family in big and small ways, ensuring that their work obligations ended when they needed to to get back to their kids to ensure they were tucked safely into bed."
Jeep debuted its first campaign with the Jeters last year.
During a media briefing, Derek said he owns a Grand Wagoneer that provides plenty of space for his four children. Hannah said her father once owned a Wrangler, and her mother has a Cherokee.
Derek said he likes to partner with companies and products that he believes in.
"We try to do things that are authentic to who we are," Jeter said. "I'm from Michigan, so I'm a couple hours away from where Jeeps are built. 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."
Send us a letter
Have an opinion about this story? Click here to submit a Letter to the Editor, and we may publish it in print.
