Edward Michael "Bear" Grylls; former SAS reservist, Mount Everest climber, and recognized pee-drinker of the hit survival TV show Man Vs. Wild is now shilling luxury SUVs for Land Rover in pretty much the most logical co-branding effort ever.
Bear says; "I've used Land Rover vehicles throughout my life, during my military career, on countless expeditions and then while filming. From deserts and jungles to the highest mountains; they always deliver a rugged reliability that you can always count on when the chips are down in hostile environments."
Which is funny, because pretty much nobody in any off-road or adventure circle associates "Land Rover" with "reliability." Myself included, and I used to own one.
What we do associate Land Rover with is looking cool. It's a truck that's undeniably capable and fun to drive off-road as long as someone else is picking up the repair tab. So of course Bear's jacked to give them an endorsement deal!
Officially Bear's role is being called "Long-Term Global Ambassador" which I imagine to mean "Exercise your old-school English charm with some colonizing swagger and a healthy dose of pompousness. Then pose with the 4x4s." Sounds like Bear's only issue might be matching his own name-branded adventure gear with the Barbour flannel he's probably required to wear now.
Apparently one of his first tasks, in addition to the afore-mentioned, will be to mentor "Land Rover's next generation explorer," during what the company's calling a "high-adrenaline adventure" that they'll be looking to use as a commercial of sorts.
The lucky trainee is 22-year-old Alex Woodford, who gets the honor after winning the Discovery Adventure Challenge where she bested four others in "a series of testing challenges including a technically demanding slalom drive on the slopes, a test of strength and technique with a 396 pound sled pull, and a fast and furious kayak race across Lake Geneva."
But before that, we'll likely see Bear at the reveal of the 2015 Land Rover Discovery Sport, slated for September 2.
Image: Land Rover