How Ford is reading the culture right with its new ad campaign
Brands are no strangers to crisis management, but dealing with a global pandemic like COVID-19? That is not something we come across every day! In these unprecedented times, brands have taken various interesting approaches in navigating through the coronavirus pandemic. One, that definitely stood out to me was that of Ford.
Amidst the panic in the pandemic-stricken country, Ford was swift in its actions to pull back its vehicle ads and instead launch an ad campaign (which was developed in just one week!!!) to play its part in addressing the global problem. They know it’s not the time for a peppy car ad.
The ads released by Ford are two 30-second spots with black and white stills and big text on the images. They have been mindful of keeping a simple and clean approach in bringing their message across with a high impact. With taglines that say ”Built for Right Now”, “Built to Lend a Hand” and “Built Together”, Ford is reminding us that the company has a weathered crisis in the past. It shares the “Built for America” message- after all, Ford is ‘America’s Auto Company’ and has been there for over a century now. The titles of the ads are a part of the company’s larger platform- “Built Ford Proud”, which was introduced two years ago. With this campaign, the automaker elucidates how it is offering Ford Credit on auto loans to provide some relief to its customers. In the ad, they’re also not just addressing the obvious issue, which is the pandemic, but also the all-time low unemployment rates, the crippling economy, and deteriorating environment- something most of the other brands have overlooked.
Ford is mostly focusing on marketing its new campaign with TV commercials. Even though they have been extensively shared on social media platforms like Youtube and Facebook, Ford’s Director of U.S. marketing, Matt VanDyke, believes that the viewership of television is at a high right now. “It is really about reaching our audience where they’re consuming media”, he said. The “Built for America” ad amassed approx. 66,000 views on Youtube in just 2 days.
Let’s be honest, which brand didn’t take out a campaign when the COVID-19 hit? There were ads that were witty, some were humorous, some were light-hearted and there were also the unfortunate few that were tone-deaf. But did how many actually address the issue at hand and play their part in helping the public cope with the hard fall? Ford is one of the few brands highlighting the measures it’s taking in response to the global outbreak. Everyone talks the talk but Ford was one of the few who actually walked the walk. It is safe to say that in tough times, it is companies with history and character that pull us through. Thanks, Ford!
