• by Tanya Gazdik , September 3, 2020

Lincoln is launching a campaign for its new 2020 Corsair with the help of a newly discovered folk musician, Cas Haley. 

When searching for the next face of its Corsair campaign, Lincoln turned to unknown and emerging artists and engaged the public to help make the selection. After a songwriting competition and a trip to the Grammys, Haley emerged as the chosen singer and songwriter. 

The effort is an example of how Lincoln is using music to authentically engage with newer audiences, says Jon Pearce, Hudson Rouge global chief creative officer. 

“Corsair is the youngest-skewing vehicle in the Lincoln lineup, and we know that music is one of the passion points of our Corsair target,” Pearce tells Marketing Daily. “That said, music is also huge for Lincoln’s ‘Cultural Progressive’ target as well. Over the past few years, Lincoln has shown up at the Grammys with a major commitment to commercial airtime, and has partnered with talents like Beck, Aloe Blacc, Sharon Jones and the Dapkings, Gary Clark Jr, and, for this campaign, Jon Batiste. Having such a focus, and consistently so, has made Lincoln an authentic presence in music circles.”

Before the nation’s music venues fell silent due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Lincoln launched Chart Your Course, a songwriting competition to help discover and support untapped musical talent. A panel of judges including United Music Group executives selected Haley as the winner.

He was then sent on a cross-country journey in his 2020 Lincoln Corsair where he met with songwriters, musicians, mentors and longtime Lincoln ambassador Matthew McConaughey, who all helped him perfect his song Every Road I’m On before recording it at Capitol Studios in Hollywood.

Lincoln is building on the momentum of its SUV lineup, says Lincoln Marketing Communications Manager Eric Peterson. The brand will launch its second plug-in hybrid vehicle, the Corsair Grand Touring, later this year. 

“This campaign is a unique way to reach a new, younger client in a way that is both meaningful for the brand and the audience – through music and the journey to success,” Peterson tells Marketing Daily. “The word Corsair is derived from the Latin word ‘cursus,’ meaning course or journey. And for us, the journey is just as important, if not more so, as the destination.”  

The campaign includes a 30-second spot featuring Haley which debuts September 14.

The spot will run on national TV, streaming platforms (Hulu, Amazon and Roku), social (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Pinterest), along with integrations with media outlets Hearst, NYT and Insider.

McConaughey, now in his sixth year with Lincoln, has become “fairly synonymous with the brand,” and provides the voiceover, Pearce says. 

“Since the Corsair campaign features a real musician, we wanted to find a way to authentically feature Matthew, kind of as the ‘glue’ to our campaign,” Pearce says. “We found this recording of an actual commencement speech he gave, and he granted us permission to use it as the voiceover. It really sums up the spirit of what we were trying to get at with Cas’ journey: that idea of believing in yourself, having convictions and sticking to them, in order to achieve success. The kind of people we’re talking to with this campaign share that sense of striving for something greater.”

A 24-minute long-form documentary chronicles Haley’s experience and premieres tonight at the drive-in at the Lincoln Drive-In Experience at South Street Seaport, Pier17.

It will be screened for three nights as a part of a drive-in double-feature experience, available on a reservation basis where guests can watch the films from inside a Corsair. 

Haley’s involvement with the brand will not be ongoing, Peterson says.

“We are incredibly proud of Cas’s accomplishments in the past six months and honored to call him a friend of the brand,” he says. “While there are no plans to make him an official ambassador at this time, we look forward to celebrating him in our new Corsair campaign along with all of the mentors he met on this journey.”