• by Tanya Gazdik , April 12, 2024

Ford Motor Co. is launching a brand campaign with the theme “Freedom of Choice” that showcases the breadth of its vehicle lineup.

The goal of this campaign from Wieden+Kennedy is to raise awareness of Ford’s range of vehicles and what they enable, reminding people that Ford gives them the most empowering thing –choice. 

The automaker offers customers a range of gas, hybrid and electric products to suit almost every customer's need – from work to adventure to family activities and beyond.

It’s the first “soup to nuts” effort led by Lisa Materazzo, who became Ford’s global chief marketing officer in September after leaving her post as the top North America marketing executive at Toyota.

The brand messaging is “very relevant to Ford and the Ford DNA, what we stand for,” Materazzo told Marketing Daily in an exclusive interview. 

“We stand for American values, we stand for freedom,” Materazzo says. “That’s a big part of American values. That's freedom. And it's important that people know the choices they have, the freedom of choices they have within our lineup.”

At the core of the campaign, which runs through September, are three spots featuring nine different Ford vehicles. 

“Starting Line” debuted during the Men’s Final Four games on CBS on April 6. The second spot, “Get Things Done,” launches today. It highlights the new 2024 F-150, which has gas and PowerBoost Hybrid models in addition to the electric F-150 Lightning. A third spot, “Power to Do,” will launch in the Kentucky Derby on May 4.

The campaign is focused on creating broad awareness and consideration “so there is very much a focus on that upper to mid funnel,” Materazzo says. “And what our research showed is that there are some shoppers out there that aren't aware of the breadth of choice that we have within our lineup, and it's important for us to get that message out there."

In tandem with the campaign, Ford has a redesigned Ford.com consumer shopping page and vehicle homepages, simplifying the process for customers to find their perfect vehicle and powertrain combination. 

Materazzo says she is still “very much in listen and learn mode” but is pleased with tha automaker's current agency relationships. Wieden+Kennedy was a “great partner” on her first campaign. 

"And we did it under a very compressed timeline,” she says. “It wasn't initially in the plan, but as we see the industry evolving and consumer preferences changing a bit, we wanted to make sure that we got this message in the marketplace that we really do have great options for consumers regardless of their preferences, regardless of their vehicle needs.”

The media plan includes linear connected tv, digital video and banner placements and a Spanish language version running on Univision and Telemundo, she says. It also includes both paid and organic social media.

“And then finally what I'm very excited about is that to drive demand, we've created assets that can be used [by Ford dealers] both at tier two and tier three,” Materazzo says. “And that's exciting because that will not only give us a bigger presence in the marketplace, but it'll give us a great deal of consistency across the tiers.”