• by Erik Sass , Staff Writer @eriksass1, November 19, 2010

Ford is helping commuters get home with less time spent sitting in traffic, through a new partnership with The Wall Street Journal Office Network to promote the Ford Edge, including the MyFord Touch operating system, which allows users to personalize all their vehicle information, including features such as navigation and voice-activated temperature control. The deal allows Ford to reach a well-heeled audience of business professionals with content at relevant times of day.

The campaign, running on WSJON's digital displays in the lobbies of over 750 U.S. office buildings, brings the MyFord Touch operating system to life with traffic information appearing inside a visual of the 8-inch LCD center stack portion of the new Edge. The MyFord Touch console shows maps of local roadways with constantly updated drive times, displayed alongside the company's advertising.

While mundane, there's no question traffic information is also engaging, as Americans face longer and longer commutes. Over the last couple decades, the average commute time has steadily edged up from 22.4 minutes in 1990 to just over 25 minutes in 2009, according to the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey, with much bigger increases in many metro areas. And WSJON is well-positioned to reach commuters as they are on their way home. Jim Harris, WSJON's CEO, stated: "Our viewers typically spend more than three minutes per day viewing our screens. The Ford Edge campaign makes that time even more valuable, especially when leaving the office in the evening."

Advertising revenues at The Wall Street Journal Office Network rose more than 70% in the first half of 2010, compared with the same period last year. This follows a 130% increase in ad revenues in 2009.