Before social media influencers turned car promotions into an art form, martial arts legend Jackie Chan was already a trendsetter. This multitalented Hong Kong superstar wasn’t just acing kicks and stunts; he was driving Mitsubishi into the spotlight, long before automotive influencing became a “thing.”
Far removed from the contemporary auto aficionados like Jay Leno or David Letterman, Jackie Chan’s alliance with Mitsubishi wasn’t mere celebrity endorsement—it was symbiotic. During the late 1970s, when Chan’s star was ascending through films like Drunken Master, Mitsubishi saw an opportunity for mutual growth. They offered him not just financial backing for his movies but also an almost endless line-up of vehicles for his films. The result? A marketing coup that catapulted both the actor and the car brand into an unparalleled realm of Asian recognition.
This wasn’t your typical product placement strategy. The partnership evolved to make Mitsubishi cars an almost co-star in many of Jackie Chan’s films. They were the flashy getaways in high-speed chases and the rugged saviors in off-road adventures. The brand even went as far as crafting special edition models and prototypes just for his movies. In exchange, Chan’s global audience became an immense platform for Mitsubishi, expanding their brand across the Asian market and beyond.
This alliance didn’t stop at the screen. The Jackie Chan Cup, a charitable motorsport event backed by Mitsubishi, extended this cooperation into the world of racing. Even as a marshal or a participant, Chan lent his image to further promote Mitsubishi’s racing lineage.
While many Hollywood stars have had fleeting affairs with automotive brands, Jackie Chan’s enduring relationship with Mitsubishi is a legacy. It laid the groundwork for modern-day celebrity-auto partnerships, shaping an entire influencer industry before the term even existed. If Instagram had been around back in the day, imagine the ‘likes’ on a live off-road demo by Jackie Chan himself!
This influential partnership offers a fascinating look at how celebrity relationships with brands have evolved over the years, from mere endorsements to multifaceted partnerships that weave into various aspects of their personal and professional lives. In doing so, Jackie Chan and Mitsubishi showed the world how to turn the wheels of brand elevation, long before the age of social media.
