November 15, 2012

The Ultimate Strolling Machine: BMW Licenses Self To Maclaren

bmw_maclaren_side.jpg

Are you gonna let a shady bankruptcy, corporate shell games, and offshore intellectual property shenanigans get in the way of a brand licensing deal? Not when you've got xDrive!

That's right, BMW has done its first stroller cross-branding deal--with Maclaren. As part of the automaker's new, expanding logo merchandise offering, which reaches beyond dealers' parts departments, the company's blue & white pizza logo will grace the hubs and harness buckle of a mid-range Maclaren stroller, starting in January 2013. There will also be matching diaper bags and other accessories.

This is obviously not the first co-branded stroller Maclaren's put out. In addition to BMW, they've had colabos with Dylan's Candy Bar and the Beatles' Yellow Submarine, plus all the fashion ones.

bmw_maclaren_screenshot.jpg

And it's not the first car X stroller mashup, either. [And no, that nonsensical, nonfunctioning knockoff Porsche concept stroller wasn't, either.] Last year saw the debut of a special Fiat 500 edition of the Seed Pli. And before all of that, way back in the 90s, when you couldn't even get a date, much less procreate, there was an honest-to-goodness Land Rover stroller line. Good stuff, very OG Mountain Buggy. Now where's that link? Must find that again.

Anyway, good for Maclaren that they've found a licensing partner willing to overlook their shady-to-shitty business practices, and just focus on their fine, high quality products.

marlboro_ferrari_logo.jpg

It makes me wonder what other companies and brands might be even better fits for Maclaren? Maybe we should start a list. Marlboro's too easy, even though I can't begin to tell you how guilty I feel for loving Marlboro's insidiously awesome F1 campaign, seeing it's sweetness on a stroller would be even better/worse.

I think BP would be awesome, too. Not necessarily a full-on, 3-tone green/yellow stroller, but just the BP flower on each wheel would go along way to healing the damage caused by the Deepwater Horizon explosion and spill.

UPDATE: like I said.

bp_maclaren_dt.jpg

Any suggestions or mockups? I'm already about 80% of the way toward making a prototype. Enough good ideas, though, and I'll do a pop-up shop.

BMW, in a First, Shares Its Logo and Design Chops with Other Brands [brandchannel]

3 Comments

Of course there are the JEEP strollers which I think are Kolcraft. It's a little different because I think they are marketed as JEEP rather than as some collaborative effort.

Also, I've never noticed a particular brand of stroller that's more likely to cut me off on the sidewalk. I guess that's about to change.

Maybe MacLaren should have gotten into bed with one of the Detroit carmakers to get a little bit of bailout love. Although avoiding bankruptcy was probably never part of their plan.

How come there aren't more carbon fiber strollers? All I can find is that dumb Porsche concept and that crappy Maclaren one.

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