Equipped with more than a dozen vehicles, Jeep descended on Buttermilk Mountain from Jan. 23–25 on a mission to return to its roots as an adventure brand and push the boundaries of its 20-plus-year Winter X Games partnership. And across a heated Base Camp for fans at the foot of the mountain, athlete partnerships, ownership of the event’s slopestyle competitions, an awards program, vehicle placements throughout the course, and broadcast, linear and social extensions, Jeep was omnipresent, whether fans were on-site or watching from home.

“To say that you can’t go more than a few feet in the X Games area without seeing a Jeep logo or an actual Jeep, is not really an understatement,” says Wendy Orthman, vp-marketing at Jeep. “So the title sponsorship has gotten us to a place where we are, in a lot of ways, synonymous with the Winter X Games. And everyone who steps foot or watches a broadcast or watches on social will know that Jeep was an integral part of the event.”

The Jeep Base Camp experience featured some of the creature comforts the brand has provided in the past, given the locale, like cozy places to warm up and customized sweet treats. The activation this year included branded hot cocoa, and beignets from a small shop in town; vehicle demos; heating stations; a chance to test the heated and massaging seats featured in certain Jeep models; photo ops; and autograph signings with athletes.

What’s more, the location of the Base Camp offered fans clear views of athletes on the Half-Pipe, meaning they could still catch some of the action while taking a respite from the cold. And, naturally, swag, was rewarded to visitors who interacted with the brand, with useful items including blankets, hand-warmers, lip balm and sunglasses up for grabs.

“I think anytime you’re at an outdoor event, there’s always some level of practicality in giving people a little shelter and a place to warm up. And all event marketing is run, in some capacity, on, ‘If you feed them, they will come,’” Orthman says. “So we’re trying to make it the kind of space that people are going to want to make a base camp, where they’re going to want to hang out and grab a hot cocoa and sit for a minute and take it in.”

The strategic placement of Jeep models (and logos) across Buttermilk was another essential aspect of the presenting sponsorship, not to mention athletes’ first two tricks were captured through a Jeep cam. Vehicles like the brand-new Recon EV, Gladiator and Wrangler Whitecap were stationed across the broadcast footprint, including the top of the slope where athletes take off, and throughout the course. They were also parked next to the stage during evening concerts and located at the Base Camp for fans to check out. To boot, a Grand Wagoneer provided shuttle service around the mountain.

“One of the things we wanted to do in the interactive event spaces is give [attendees] a chance to actually see and touch and feel the vehicles that they may have now seen on the broadcast, so that it doesn’t feel like they’re only exclusive to that which the athletes can interact with, but that they can actually open the doors and engage and get their questions answered,” Orthman says. “So a combination of product sharing and interaction, with giving them some hospitality on behalf of the brand.”

On the social front, Jeep worked with ambassadors and X Games athletes Alex Hall and Jamie Anderson to create content on the slopes that amplified the brand’s sponsorship presence, and to engage fans during meet-and-greets at the Base Camp—“something exclusive they can get through Jeep and this partnership,” according to Orthman.

Rounding out the title sponsorship was the first-ever Jeep Golden Grille Awards. One female and one male athlete who were at the top of their performance at the Games, and are heavily involved in inspiring the next generation of snow sports athletes, each took home the seven-slot, gold-dipped trophy.

Ultimately, X Games Aspen 2026 Driven by Jeep was just one event on the 2026 calendar as the brand reclaims its heritage (look no further than a newly inked multiyear sponsorship of The Snow League).

“We have been coming back to our core as a brand, and with that, it just felt like it was time for us to reconnect with those roots of being part of all of the playgrounds where people can take their Jeeps, be that sand or rock or snow,” Orthman says. “So strategically, you’ll see throughout the year that the brand is really realigning with all of those places where you go to have adventures and to live your best life in your Jeep.”

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There is a silver lining to the automotive semiconductor chip shortage and supply chain disruptions that are squeezing factory output and revenue for car companies. Dealership inventory may be null, and consumers may be struggling with the decision to order a vehicle before viewing it in person and the waiting period. But for automotive event marketers, it’s an opportunity to reevaluate how and when they capture consumers and, most importantly, where.   

From ride-and-drives and off-road demonstrations, to food trucks and g-force simulations, brands are designing automotive experiences around automotive messaging that is moving away from direct statements and toward more dynamic consumer conversations, especially given the rise of intricate topics like functional design and electric and autonomous vehicles. 

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DIRECT-TO-CONSUMER MINDSET

The entire economy has moved towards a direct-to-consumer mindset, a trend the pandemic helped expedite, and many automotive brands are following suit, says Christopher Handy, ceo at Engine Shop, which handles Mercedes-Benz experiential programming. In fact, a study by the Capgemini Research Institute found that 46 percent of consumers want to search for and purchase cars online rather than visit dealerships. Many brands had begun looking toward proprietary and pop-up brand experiences that send more direct messages to consumers before the pandemic, and the trend is accelerating in the post-pandemic era.

Mercedes-Benz USA followed suit last October and introduced its all-new Mercedes-EQ lineup of electric vehicles with a nationwide test-drive roadshow. Consumers in 20 cities were invited to test drive the new 2022 EQS Sedan while learning about electric vehicle technology, design, functionality and connectivity. 

And with sustainability top of mind among younger car-buying demographics, two Mercedes-EQ Experience pop-ups, one in New York City and another in Los Angeles, offered an interactive energy harvesting pathway that invited attendees to walk across kinetic tech floor tiles that generated reusable clean energy.

INDOOR/OUTDOOR AUTO SHOWS

While brands used to primarily use auto shows for launches and reveals, today, automotive exhibitors are benefitting from showcasing how a product will benefit the consumer’s lifestyle in order to influence purchase decisions.

Alistair (Ali) Wilson, managing director of Imagination, which has handled award-winning auto show programs for Ford, says that while media attention may be moving away from auto shows, consumer attendance remains strong, even as product reveals are moving off-site. 

“The good auto shows present a really rich opportunity for marketers because of the audiences they attract–increasingly young, female and culturally diverse,” he says. “The majority are in-market, 12-month intenders to buy.”  

To that end, the New York International Auto Show, canceled for two consecutive years during the pandemic, returned in April with new specialty exhibits, fresh automotive experiences and one of the largest electric vehicle test tracks ever created at an auto show. And Motor City’s famed North American International Auto Show, which had been held every January for 30 years, in June 2021 moved outdoors as a festival-like experience rebranded as Motor Bella at the M1 Concourse in Pontiac, MI. The first full, in-person show to take place in three years returns Sept. 17-25 with Camp Jeep, Bronco Mountain, Ford F150 Lightning ride-and-drives, eVTOL flights and a Ram truck activation on the schedule.

Outdoor automotive experiences, like this VW ride at the LA Auto Show, continue to grow in popularity. (@jimdonnellyphoto)

Andrea Trudeau, events services director at the Detroit Auto Dealers Association, says that some brands are now more willing to take risks than others. Automotive experiences like Jeep’s off-road test track that demonstrates the vehicles’ maneuverability (jumps included)—not bags of vehicle literature—she says, is what helps consumers make memories and remember a brand. 

“The combination of indoor and outdoor events is here to stay,” Trudeau says. “Brands want that flexibility, too. Some want to be back inside, and some like it outdoors and think they can expand on it… So the future is both, and being accommodating according to who wants what.”

David Sloan, president of the Chicago Automobile Trade Association and general manager of the Chicago Auto Show, says that for its July 2021 show, indoor displays were scaled back, and outdoor test drives on city streets received rave reviews. The show returned to McCormick Place in February and, while slightly dialed back again, still featured experiences like test tracks and Camp Jeep’s tallest- and longest-ever hill to celebrate its 18th year at the show.

“People appreciated the difference rather than what was missing,” Sloan says. “We’ve always had this very experiential thing going on, and that seems to be where auto shows are going.” 

INTIMATE PRESS EXPERIENCES

Media events are continuing to move off the show floor and into viral moment-inducing exotic backdrops. 

Carol Fleming, senior director at The XD Agency, which has handled events for automotive clients like Porsche North America, predicts manufacturers will continue to want to engage with the media through one-on-one experiences and environments. There is tremendous pent-up demand, she says, but staffing is a big issue as many people left the business. “There are now smaller, more interesting test drives in unexpected locations and more lifestyle events to get products in front of people,” she says.

Ford launched its new Bronco by taking the media on an off-roading adventure in 2020 on the Bronco’s 55th anniversary. The COVID-friendly ride-and-drive experience at Holly Oaks off-road vehicle park in Michigan featured small groups of attendees, a choreographed three-vehicle reveal and then an in-car ride experience (Imagination handled). 

As supply chain disruptions ease, pent up demand will translate into booming business in the automotive industry. Auto event marketers that are directly engaging consumers in powerful ways will be first in line to reap the rewards while shaping the future of experiential.

*This article was originally published in 2021 and is updated periodically

The post How Automotive Experiences are Catering to Shifting Consumer Trends appeared first on Event Marketer.

The Jeep Champion of Adventure experience featured a 4D film, s’mores and vehicle displays.

As a 17-year partner of ESPN and the Winter X Games, Jeep knows that the weather at the base of a mountain resort is predictable—predictable in the sense that it will be cold and there will be snow. For some brands, that might mean facing limitations on how a sponsorship is activated. But for the last two years, Jeep has pushed boundaries like the athletes do in the Games, and at the event this year, Jan. 23-26, in Aspen, CO, the brand hosted a high-tech, Jeep Wrangler off-road experience at Buttermilk Mountain.

Contained in a branded 30-foot dome that served as both a warming shelter and a stimulating visual in the X Games environment, the Jeep Champion of Adventure experience featured a 360-degree film viewed from 18 actual Jeep Wrangler Rubicon heated leather seats that were motion-activated with a rumble feature to enhance the viewing experience.

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Once attendees were seated, an emcee introduced the film and talked about the off-roading capabilities of Jeep vehicles. Then, the four-minute film experience began, projected onto the interior façade of the dome, which placed viewers in the driver’s seat of a Wrangler as it crawled over boulders, climbed mountain trails, crossed a dry lake bed and cut fresh tracks across a California meadow. As the film progressed, the seats rumbled as the vehicle went over rocky roads, and the scent of pine and cedar wafted through the air. To highlight one of the Wrangler’s key features—the one-touch power roof offered on the Wrangler since 2018—attendees experienced blasts of air during certain scenes.

After the 360-degree film experience, consumers could check out the all-new 2020 Jeep Gladiator and Jeep Wrangler vehicles on display, enjoy warm Jeep-branded s’mores and enter their names to win Rossignol sports gear. Before they departed, attendees received a Jeep-branded keychain engraved with their initials.

The four-minute film was projected onto the interior of the dome, which placed viewers in the driver’s seat of a Wrangler.

“What we’re always trying to do for the Jeep brand is find ways to get consumers into the vehicle and experiencing all it has to offer, which for some is off-roading, or others, daily driving,” says Jason Russ, head of experiential marketing at FCA US. “For the longest time we, frankly, had a static footprint [at the X Games] where we had some fun engagements, but they weren’t really moving the needle on getting people into the vehicles and experiencing Jeep, so that’s where the immersive dome experience came to light.”

Jeep was able to collect leads through RFID wristbands attendees received upon entering the space after registering with Jeep brand ambassadors. At multiple points in the footprint, they could “check in” with their wristband, whether it be at the entrance to the dome itself, at one of the vehicle displays after speaking with a product specialist, or cashing in a token for a s’more.

“We’re able to monitor the volume of people that come through, so we can collect good stats on the numbers and dwell time. It’s really an invisible experience to the consumer for them to know that, ‘Hey, we just want to check in here with you, at your speed, and do anything we can do to make your experience here at the Winter X Games more enjoyable,’” Russ says.

The film experience was about 15 minutes from start to finish, and with 18 seats available, Russ estimated that the brand would engage 2,300 consumers over the course of the Winter X Games weekend. Agencies: Inspira Marketing Group, Norwalk, CT; Lumen & Forge, Las Vegas (360-degree content).

Before they departed, attendees received a Jeep-branded keychain engraved with their initials.

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