automotive

Ford Launches Corporate African-American Effort

Ford

Ford has tapped CBS sports announcer James Brown for a new ad push directed at African-American consumers. The corporate effort contains an "All-In" theme line. As part of the campaign, via UniWorld Group, Brown appears in a series of Web videos touting Ford product quality, technology, the community and the environment.

In the Web videos at FordUrban.com, Brown conducts one-on-one interviews with Ford executives who talk about their lives and the past, present and future of the company. The videos will be shown at major African-American-sponsored events throughout the year. The executives in the videos include Ford's Group VP of Global Quality Bennie Fowler; John Viera, director of sustainable business strategies; Pamela Alexander, director of community development, Ford Motor Company Fund; and Jason Johnson, a product development engineer.

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Shawn Lollie, Ford's multicultural marketing manager, says ads will run in various print publications, including Savoy, Professional Magazine, Black Enterprise, Minority Business Journal, American Legacy and more than 15 African-American newspapers in top news markets.

"'All In' is a mantra, a rallying cry that symbolizes the one-team philosophy that makes up Ford Motor Company," Lollie tells Marketing Daily. "We wanted to share some of the African-Americans at Ford."

She says the last time that Ford created an African-American targeted corporate ad campaign was in 2005, which is also when Ford launched FordUrban.com.

"This is not focused on any one vehicle although the vehicles will appear in the print ads and throughout the campaign. This campaign is about highlighting our strengths as it relates to our quality products, commitment to the community, game-changing technologies and commitment to our green efforts," she says, adding that the campaign will continue through 2011.

 

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