DEARBORN (WWJ) -- It’s “Ready, Set Ford” as the carmaker launches its first new brand campaign in a decade.
“With Ready, Set Ford, it's really the signal of something new at Ford,” says Chief Marketing Officer Lisa Materazzo. “A reason to look at the Ford brand, especially for consumers that might not have us on their consideration set.”
The ads focus not just on Ford products, but on how customers use those products. That could run from driving an F-150 on a ranch to taking a Mustang on the track to taking a Bronco far off the grid.
“We make products that stir the soul,” says Materazzo, who points out that vehicles provoke more passion than consumer products, and the ads need to match.
“It's familiar and it's authentic, yet is it expressed in a way that we think is more modern and relatable to our current audiences, and it has a sharper focus than we've had in the past.”
Ford identified three audiences for the ads:
Build: People who use their vehicles for work.
Thrill: Those who use their cars and trucks to push the envelope of excitement.
Adventure: Using your vehicle to enhance your lifestyle. That includes family adventures and individual adventures.
The campaign is global, although the tag line “Ready. Set. Ford.” will be in English, even in ads that are presented in a foreign language. The last global Ford brand campaign was called “Go Further.” Materazzo says this campaign is an evolution, not a revolution.
“So our goal was to take all that equity, and there's immense equity in the Ford brand, and just modernize it and express it in a way that's more relatable to consumers.”
The ads begin running with this weekend’s football games, and will be widespread across all media. There will be updates added into the mix and a large “phase 2” push of the campaign in October.
Adding to that push, Jimmy Fallon will do his show in Detroit. That’s the first time he’s spotlighted the city and its automotive heritage. Ford is a major sponsor of Fallon’s show.
Ford CEO Jim Farley recruited Materazzo from Toyota, where she spent over twenty years and received a lot of praise for her work. She says one of her first missions at Ford was to modernize its messaging. It’s a big responsibility.
“I personally can say, coming in and leading this effort for a brand that's 122 years old, and it's a family brand, that's like, don't screw it up, right?”
A lot of money and research went into Ford’s new brand campaign. And Materazzo says there’s more to come.
“So, Lincoln is going through a similar exercise where they're reevaluating their brand, and looking at how they're expressing it to an external audience.”