What an intriguing piece of news to come back to after a
sick day (seriously, when will the weather just
a pick season and stick with it?!): Wrangler is gearing up to unveil its Dale Earnhardt Collection.
The line of t-shirts, limited edition jeans (with race car-referencing names like "Intimidator Black" and "#3 Indigo") and hats that commemorate the late driver will retail for under $20 at select Wal-Marts nationwide for a limited time, starting next week.
We're still trying to get the (confirmed) skinny on the marketing plan for this collection, but it'll probably be mostly in-store signage and, one would imagine, a little bit of a print run, perhaps some event marketing at NASCAR races. While we wait on that, enjoy this vintage 1982 spot (right, click to enlarge), when Earnhardt was the face of the brand's "One Tough Customer," a campaign that extend through the early to mid 1980s.
Indeed, the collection is an extension of the brand's history with the storied Earnhardt racing family. The brand was the primary sponsor of the seven-time Winston Cup NASCAR champ's car from 1981-1987, when Dale's car was dubbed the "Wrangler Jean Machine." The sponsorship picked back up again when the Wrangler hit the hood on Earnhardt Jr.'s car in 2004.
"Just as Dale Jr. perfectly fits the new generation of Wrangler today, Dale Earnhardt truly personified the brand and the 'One Tough Customer' marketing campaign in the 1980s," Craig Errington, vp of Wrangler marketing said, in a statement. "This commemorative collection was developed to reflect the respect and admiration we continue to have for Dale and to honor the history we've shared with the Earnhardt family, and his fans, for more than two decades."
Per confirmation this morning, Wrangler will not execute an advertising campaign for its new Dale Earnhardt Collection, a smattering of t-shirts, jeans and hats commemorating the iconic NASCAR driver.
