I don’t know if you’ve caught it, but there is a commercial that is making its way across several channels on television. It starts out looking like any other commercial for the Snuggie, but we later see a man with a crowbar “tear down” the screen to reveal a Subaru Outback in the great outdoors. The idea, I suppose, is to show that Subaru owners are about being a rugged and tough, rather the snuggling up with a sleeve-equipped blanket.

This may seem like a very clever marketing campaign, but it could come at a serious price. People who may have otherwise been interested in buying a Subaru vehicle may be alienated or turned off from the product if they also happen to be fans of the Snuggie. They can be mildly offended by what the commercial is seemingly trying to say. This demographic may be a relative minority, but they certainly exist.

Where discussion of this commercial gets interesting is when you take it from the perspective of the Snuggie people. On the one hand, they could be getting free advertising for their product. On the other hand, their product is being depicted in a largely negative light. They say that any exposure is good exposure, but is this still true when it comes to commercials like these.

Then again, it is very well possible that Snuggie and Subaru partnered on this ad campaign in some way. Perhaps Snuggie compensated Subaru for the “free” advertising. I can’t say for sure, but it does demonstrate some interesting cross-brand marketing opportunities. Can you employ a similar strategy with your company? Would you want to?