Tan France was a huge Care Bears fan as a kid. Now, the Queer Eye fashion star is acting alongside Funshine Bear in an ongoing campaign for Alaska Airlines.
“I was the ultimate Care Bears fan as a kid. I was obsessed with the TV show. And so the fact that I get to interact with a Care Bear is really sweet,” France told Adweek.
France has been working with Alaska Airlines for two years, first appearing in a series of regional spots during last year’s Super Bowl that established The Care Coalition, a roundtable of characters both real and imagined to establish Alaska Airlines as one that truly cares about its customers.
Developed with Alaska Airlines’ longtime creative partner agency Mekanism, a 60-second spot introduced the coalition, chaired by France and also featuring TikTok star Nick Cho (@YourKoreanDad) plus Mother Nature, Grandma, a dog, a talking Snuggie and Funshine Bear.
The ads have proven popular, with this year’s “Options” spot earning a watch time of more than 25 seconds, even though it’s skippable.
A caring coalition
The adorable motley crew is back for another round of ads promoting the airline’s expansion of services to Hawaii and from San Diego. The first, “Senior Surfer,” finds France, Cho and Funshine Bear waiting for their flight when Grandma (played by Maree Cheatham) videos herself in Hawaii with Dog, promoting that Alaska has no change fees, thus the change to paradise.
The second spot features France and Cho wearing the same striped shirt, which Cho notes is “twinning,” promoting the airline’s $99 companion fare.
“Care is part of the brand DNA at Alaska, and we wanted to find a creative way to catch the attention of those who may have never flown with them before,” said Max Eastman, creative director at Mekanism. “Instead of screaming into the void about how caring Alaska is, we decided to assemble the most caring characters in the universe to do it for us. Enter the Care Coalition.”
The creative team decided that each member of the Care Coalition would represent different types of caring.
“France’s overall presence and personality is warm, caring and magnetic, so he was the perfect face of the group. We also have Nick, whose entire TikTok personality is rooted in being everyone’s dad. Then you can’t forget Grandma and Dog, who are more archetypes of care, both unconditional and pure. And lastly, Funshine Bear from the Care Bears, who is the literal embodiment of care from most of our childhoods,” said Eastman.
Aside from working with his favorite Care Bear, France also loved that the airline wanted to show how much it did actually care.
“Alaska Airlines came to me maybe two-and-a-half years ago and asked if I would help chair something called their Care Coalition. And even the very idea of what they wanted to achieve made complete sense with who I am and what I do publicly, so it’s been amazing,” France said.
Staying true to his brand
Alaska Airlines is just one company France has partnered with, and it’s true to his brand and who he is. At 19 years old, France did a brief stint as a flight attendant on Britannia Airways, so he appreciates how difficult the job is and how important it is for airlines to have good customer service. Many do not, said the frequent flyer, who often dons a disguise so as not to be recognized.
“When I do fly Alaska, I do see that they are trying their very best to put that into practice even if there’s a flight change or a cancellation,” he added.
France, like many good celebrity endorsers, is particular about who he partners with, and often it aligns with what he is doing in the moment. Current brand partners are 1stDibs home accessories, Lulu and Georgia rugs, and Williams Sonoma, since he’s building his dream home; Nestig cribs and nursery goods, since he and husband Rob just welcomed their second child, Isaac; and Express, where he is lead stylist, which goes with his job on Queer Eye.
“Often, we will reach out to the company and say, ‘Hey, we’ve got this project going on. This feels like an organic fit. Do you have any interest in partnering with us?’ My whole brand is accessibility—what do I think that you can enjoy that you can relatively easily get your hands on?” said France.
There is openness on both sides to continue the Alaska Airlines partnership, but nothing has been solidified. Eastman said the concept of care means a lot to Mekanism, and Alaska, as well as France, have been effective in communicating that.
“It has endless creative opportunities as we continue to evolve the work,” added Eastman.
France noted one humorous detail of his collaboration with Alaska, in that a card that sits in the seat pocket of every airplane seat features a picture of him, but passengers can only see part of his face with his glasses down, giving a judgy eye. The only other visible part of him is his crotch in white jeans.
“I’m getting tagged in memes … white jeans aren’t forgiving. We’ll be talking about how we edit that in the future,” France said with a laugh. “I think it’s helped get my campaign out there, which is funny that it’s become just a crotch shot.”
