Ford Transit 2012
ROLES
CONCEPT : THROUGH-THE–LINE STRATEGY : CREATIVE EXECUTION
The new Transit (2012) was voted best-in-class for it's fuel economy and emissions.
Working as a creative team with copy writer Anthony Underhill, we devised an attack on in-efficient, dirty, gas-guzzling vans with a dramatic and viral approach to persuading our entrepreneurial artisans to update their vehicle.
'War on Waste' has many facets. To be successful we felt it needed to be a 'through-the-line' campaign. As the Transit marketing budget is a lot smaller than the rest of the ford range, we needed to go 'guerrilla'. Below are a few examples.
AMBIENT
Targeted advertising would make efficient use of scenarios like traffic lights to reflect key USPs.
We proposed disposing of old vans in striking ways and then using them as the advertising space.
THE VIRAL STUNT
Our key idea was to set up a highly entertaining viral stunt. Posing as a free emissions test at garages and relevant car parks. We would pre-select a group of easily dupable and entertaining van owners (secretly nominated by their peers).
The test takes a dramatic turn for the worse, as the highly wasteful van sets off the alarms. Posing as an emissions agency, we would fake dramatic destruction of their van. After working enough entertainment out of furious trader; a brand-new Transit will be driven in by the target's mate and presented as a gift.
The test takes a dramatic turn for the worse, as the highly wasteful van sets off the alarms. Posing as an emissions agency, we would fake dramatic destruction of their van. After working enough entertainment out of furious trader; a brand-new Transit will be driven in by the target's mate and presented as a gift.
TARGETED ONLINE ADVERTISING
Once the viral videos gain enough traction; our cost-effective proposition was to use targeted advertising in the spaces where the videos were embedded.
Here the ad space next to the video has three entry fields for the Van owner's Make, model and year. The advert would then dynamically compare the average fuel efficiency of their van to the new ford Transit.
This online advertising concept was to turn the viral clip into a fun interactive; allowing the user to select a method of destruction whilst showing the owners reaction unfold. This would be entertaining for those familiar with the viral campaign, but also help lead users who haven't seen the viral to the video (embedded into the Transit page on ford.com.
THE PRANKED BECOME POSTER-BOYS
As the clips start to turn viral, we would use the previously pranked as poster-boys as part of the ad campaign, giving real facts on how the new Transit has helped their business in these financially turbulent times.
AMBIENT PRANKS
Appealing to our target audience's love of banter with their peers, we devised a series of kit's to hit home the message of costly inefficiency in a fun way.
SAFE PRESS EXECUTION
This campaign concept was the one chosen internally and by the Ford UK marketing team. As it was a bold strategy, it still seems to be circling the upper echelons of Ford. Apparently the USA wants to go ahead with it...so we're still waiting to hear if it eventually sees daylight.
