
Challenge:
Ford was finding it increasingly difficult to compete in the European market due to adverse Foreign Exchange fluctuation. Ford cars had been historically less expensive than the German brands, especially at the small car end of the market, but there was now very little difference in price between some models, like a Ford Fiesta and VW Polo. Sales of Ford vehicles had virtually stopped and dealerships weren’t happy.
Solution:
On closer examination, beyond the price, there was a huge difference. The published on-the-road price of a VW gave you the car – but all the extras were an additional cost. Ford, on the other hand, because of the way they are manufactured, includes a number of extras as standard. Our approach was not to simply create another ad campaign but to stir up the debate about what maunufactures should include as standard. ‘The Ford Standard’ was launched using ampersands to showcase the different extras that came for the price. Visually these represented the leather seats, the halogen lights, the air-con, etc. The effect was to clearly dramatise Ford gives you more. The dealers loved it so much they even commissioned huge neon ampersands to display in their showrooms.
The campaign itself has set new success standards for Ford advertising. Although it started life as a brand campaign, it has the highest ever CPA (£73.91). The online campaign delivered a CTR of 0.009% and 181,165,855 impressions, and the DM delivered an unprecedented 3,866 leads.
The Ford Standard ‘ampersand campaign’ was subsequently rolled out across all European markets.
Creatives: David Harris,Tom Powell, Graham Jenks, Kevan Ansell, Kristin Matovic
The Ford Standard ‘Ampersand’ Campaign
Reframing the real cost of a car


