Ford is hitting the reset button with a brand new international model platform to shift the 122-year-old firm from product-first to customer-centric. 

The auto model has spent the final two years growing “Prepared, Set, Ford,” which is able to come to life with a advertising and marketing marketing campaign kicking off right now (Sept. 10). 

The platform, created by Wieden+Kennedy, comes at a time when Ford is seeking to differentiate in a crowded market flush with powertrain selections, evolving procuring instruments, and shifting buyer preferences. The corporate desires to reassure individuals—notably youthful shoppers—that Ford has the suitable autos for them, whereas additionally creating pleasure by leaning into its storied motorsports heritage. 

The primary advert for “Prepared, Set, Ford” is a dramatic, fast-paced homage to the individuals who drive Fords and the gutsy issues they’ll do, like racing vehicles, driving off-road, and even herding cattle. 

It ends with a Henry Ford quote: “Whether or not you assume you’ll be able to, or assume you’ll be able to’t, you’re proper.”  

“We need to join with shoppers on an emotional degree,” Ford chief advertising and marketing officer Lisa Materazzo informed ADWEEK, “and to additionally sign for each present loyalists and possibly those that haven’t thought of Ford that there’s one thing enjoyable and thrilling occurring at Ford, and they need to examine us out.”

Instruments of empowerment

An enormous theme is functionality, with Ford presenting its car lineup by the lens of what they may also help three totally different life-style audiences obtain. 

For instance, a Bronco might be a match for “explorers in search of discovery,” whereas a Mustang could also be a match for “boundary-pushers craving pace and efficiency,” and the F-Collection may also help “doers and creators” get issues completed. 

Different “Prepared, Set, Ford” guarantees or “equities” embody ardour, group, and belief. Motorsports will play a bigger function because the Ford prepares to return to Formula 1 subsequent yr after greater than a 20-year hiatus. 

Ford has additionally invested in off-road racing, with its Bronco Desert Racer and Ranger Raptor winning the 2024 Baja 1000. 

The advert will run throughout linear TV (together with Thursday Evening Soccer), digital, social, and out-of-home channels within the U.S., as a part of the marketing campaign’s first section. 

Section two will start in early October, when Ford will goal life-style audiences extra straight. The marketing campaign will roll out to most of Ford’s international markets by the top of the yr.