Jaguar gives definitive style to “British Villains” with Thomas Pink partnership

By Joe McCarthy

May 5, 2014

Jaguar F-Type suspended by crane

Jaguar North America is adding more flair to its British Villains campaign by teaming up with British fashion label Thomas Pink for a pop-up shop May 9-10 at the brand’s “Villain Academy.”

Thomas Pink will style guests at the academy in the #GoodToBeBad outfits and future brand activations will follow. Introducing a signature fashion style will help launch the campaign beyond a temporary fixation so that it meshes with the brand’s identity in the long-term.

“Partnering with Thomas Pink was a natural fit for Jaguar North America as both brands share a tradition of excellence that can be seen in Jaguar’s transformed model lineup and Thomas Pink’s crafted fashions,” said Jeff Curry, brand vice president of Jaguar North America, Mahwah, NJ.

“There is an authentic brand and customer connection that comes from us both being British brands with alternative high-quality and design-oriented products,” he said.

“We look forward to delivering truly unique brand experiences to our growing customer base with this partnership.”

Some flavorJaguar and Thomas Pink activated the partnership May 2 at The London Hotel in West Hollywood, CA, where the fashion label’s shirts were featured.

Jaguar car with Thomas Pink branding

The partnership will commence in a more rounded form during the academy in Austin, TX. The academy gives guests a full day with the new F-Type Coupe on the Formula 1 track Circuit of Americas, Austin, TX (see story).

During the event, Thomas Pink will style guests in the #GoodToBeBad style and provide made-to-measure shirts. The brand will also style select Jaguar staff.

Jaguar F-Type Coupe

After the Villain Academy, national in-store activations will be hosted at multiple Thomas Pink retail locations. F-Type coupes will be on display at the stores along with various British Villains touchpoints.

Fashion and speedWhen automakers are not designing their own labels they regularly team up with high-end fashion brands to expand their lifestyle position.

For instance, British automaker Land Rover partnered with British fashion label Barbour for a 2014 autumn/winter line.

Aside from a shared heritage, both brands value design and durability, which will be reflected in the clothing line. When automakers venture into new product categories, following the lead of a trusted designer makes sense (see story).

Also, Italian menswear brand Ermenegildo Zegna designed a capsule collection of active attire with Italian auto company Maserati for its yacht team.

Both brands are now selling the line on their Web sites, with Maserati touting the collection through an email blast. With this partnership, both brands are able to communicate their shared Italian history and heritage, while allowing Zegna to capitalize on Maserati’s household name (see story).

“The collaboration with Thomas Pink has many exciting consumer activations on the horizon,” Mr. Curry said.

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MINI OPENS FIRST POP-UP STORE IN UK

February 17, 2012 7:22 am

This week Mini opened its doors to a completely new retail adventure at Westfield Stratford City.  The Mini pop-up, which will be open for 12 months only, will showcase the two newest Mini models, the Mini Coupe and the Mini Countryman and will also sell a full range of Mini lifestyle merchandise.

The store is the first of its kind in the UK, bringing the much loved British car brand out of the traditional dealership setting and onto the high street.

During its first few days in business the store which is a joint venture between MINI UK and the dealership group Sytner, has already attracted over 4000 visitors.

The Store showcases the latest in retail technology, customers can use the UK’s first 3D car configurator to create their very own Mini, and if they catch the Mini bug they can request a test drive at their local dealership. The Mini Store also features a clever interactive mirror allowing shoppers to try on outfits without removing their clothes.

The  Mini Store is located on the walk way to the Olympic Park, a prime location to entice Westfield’s 850,000 visitors per week, and stocks the very latest products from the 2012 Mini Collection, including the brand new ‘Beat the Street’ clothing line, John Cooper Works apparel, Mini luggage and even an electric Mini Convertible for children.

The store has created 12 new jobs, which have all been recruited from the local area and have been fully trained by Mini, equipping them to deliver first class customer service.

Jochen Goller, Director MINI UK said “The Mini Store in Westfield Stratford City is an exciting new approach for our brand, for the first time we are giving shoppers the opportunity to browse the latest Mini models in a retail setting which is completely removed from the established car showroom environment.  In addition, since Mini launched just over 10 years ago we have developed a massive community of fans and enthusiasts for whom Mini is much more than just a car brand. These fans love to accessorise their cars and their lives with everything from miniature Mini fridge magnets to Mini folding bikes, so we are delighted to make the full range of products available for the first time on the high street. Over the next year we will be listening to and learning from what visitors to the Westfield store have to say about what they expect from their car retail experience.”

Myf Ryan, General Manager Marketing Westfield UK said: “We are delighted to welcome Mini to Westfield Stratford City. As a cutting edge, contemporary brand, Mini is ideally suited to Westfield Stratford City’s young and trend conscious consumer. This unique venture highlights the versatility of the centre to adapt to the needs of our retailers – now, through the Games and beyond.”

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Ford Opens Pop-Up Stores in California to Fight Honda, Toyota

http://blogs.wsj.com/drivers-seat/2012/11/15/ford-opens-pop-up-stores-in-california-to-fight-honda-toyota/

On Thursday night, Ford will open its fourth pop-up store on Market Street in downtown San Francisco, throwing a party intended to draw in curious and perhaps skeptical West Coasters.

In each quarter this year, Ford has used a vacant space for a “Go Further” shop for 30 days. People who come in can’t buy anything, but they can take a look at a few Ford cars and participate in uniquely themed activities. Ford says they are trying to make a positive impression on locals, improving the image of the brand and getting people to look at their cars.

In California, Ford is well behind Japanese rivals Toyota Motor Corp. and Honda Motor Co.

Indeed, Ford doesn’t have a dealership in the city limits of San Francisco.

The store that opens Thursday will be film-themed. People who drift into the store can do a casting call for chance for a role in an independent movie Ford is sponsoring. Other shops offered fitness classes, cooking classes and competitions and art galleries, said Travis Calhoun, who handles Ford marketing in the Western U.S.

“We have increased purchase consideration and brand favorability in the region around the stores,” Calhoun said. Each store has gotten progressively more visitors and the final store is expected to build on that trend because of its location in a prime foot traffic area. Ford said it has generated about 10,000 dealer leads from the events.

Each month, Ford executives talk about how its products are starting to sell well in the Sunshine State. It’s important because one in 10 new cars in the U.S. are sold there and it’s also been a challenging location for domestic auto makers. Calhoun said the San Francisco region, which is one of 22 regions Ford differentiates in the U.S., has had the second-largest sales increase this year and has grown 17% year-to-date.

According to Polk, a firm that provides research based on registration data, Ford’s sales at dealerships in California made up about 8.75% of all sales compared with Toyota’s 23% and Honda’s 15%. This number doesn’t include fleet sales. Hyundai Motor Co.’s market share, which has one third the volume of Ford nationally, has even higher retail sales than Ford in California. Ford’s national market share is about 15%, a figure that includes sales to commercial fleets and retail sales to consumers.

Marketing chief Jim Farley said Ford is a challenger brand in California, meaning it has to conquest sales from people who normally would only consider Toyota or Honda.

Indeed, Farley has said even taken steps to hide the Ford name in commercials and on certain vehicles so that people don’t just shut down and immediately disregard the vehicle.

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