The Ford Motor Company of Canada, Limited, was reimagining their brand. Ford wanted to get drivers into their cars and trucks, so these new customers would say, “OMG. This is not my dad’s Ford.”
The company was using programs, like Drive One for Your School. A dealer would go to a school or nearby location. For every parent, friend, aunt, or uncle who took a test drive, Ford donated $20 to the school.
Ford created PR teams across Canada—one in every province, two in Ontario, and two in Alberta. Focus Communications was Ford’s northern Alberta agency. We found local ways to tell national and international stories about Ford. We told the Ford story digitally via influencer marketing.
We got everyday bloggers and writers into Ford vehicles. A mummy blogger might test drive a van, SUV, or pickup for a week and then tell their tales. When Ford came out with the Raptor, an extreme four-by-four vehicle, we went out to the off-road clubs, because they would be the most influential.
Ford’s new products were both innovative and sustainable. Ford was using biodegradable products, such as soy foam upholstery and wheat straw (from fields after harvest) in place of fiberglass. We arranged a gourmet dinner with the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT) culinary school. Student chefs created a meal. Each dish included a food product that was part of a Ford. The event inspired many write-ups and was one of the reasons Focus (out of Edmonton) became the number-one team in Canada, generating the most media hits and impressions.
