Next week, Ford of Canada is launching the print phase of a campaign that bowed with heavy TV saturation this month under the newly adopted ‘Drive One’ slogan that the motor company calls a statement of confidence in the troubled industry. The multi-platform campaign is an ambitious effort and ‘it will be very unlikely that a Canadian consumer will not see all of these spots,’ says Jim Hartford, director of marketing communications for Ford of Canada.
‘Certainly there’s lots of attention on the automotive business and certainly on our company within that,’ says Hartford. ‘But as we look outside of what the current economic environment is, we also see a great opportunity right now to acknowledge the leadership that we have in quality,’ he tells MiC. Toronto’s Mindshare handled the buy, and Y&R Toronto developed the creative. Print ads will appear in the Globe and Mail and the National Post newspapers, among others.
Ford’s campaign message is derived from recent independent studies that find the American motor brand is equal in quality to Toyota and Honda. The campaign also focuses on Ford’s record in fuel economy and safety, and gives a tease of new 2010 designs of the Taurus and Flex vehicles, which will hit the market over the next few months.
‘I think that television allows you to reach and touch people emotionally and it’s a great way to showcase the vehicle. Print allows some additional detail into the story, and online in its various executions, allows people to probe and find out more. It’s really about reaching up to people,’ says Hartford.
