Discussion Post: Ford Unlearn
"Unlearn signalled to the UK that they needed to ‘let go of what they know' about Ford and our media buying was no different. With exciting formats such as the Super Panorama and activity across desktop, mobile and print we not only reached the Aspirer audience, we made them Unlearn" what newsbrands can do."
Ford launched the Unlearn campaign to change the way audiences think about the brand in Britain, using outstanding print formats to encourage re-evaluation of preconceptions.
With new market entrants from Korea changing consumers' car expectations, Ford set out to persuade consumers to #Unlearn what Ford means to them by using newspapers to make an impact and inspire consumers - in a word, to be less "vanilla".
The campaign launched with an eight-page super panorama ad on The Sunday Telegraph to grab attention, following up with a 'cover special' on The Daily Telegraph the following weekend. High impact homepage takeovers served to sustain interest in the campaign, with the activity owning an entire day of the weekend, every weekend for the campaign period with a homepage takeover of either The Times, The Sun, The Sunday Times' Driving Channel or The Sun's motors channel.
By utilising publication and creative agency capabilities to produce impactful and memorable formats for Ford, Mindshare ensured that the #Unlearn rebrand created stand-out in the market. To sustain the campaign messaging, it built frequency in national press and across lifestyle magazines and supplements, where the aspirer audience would not usually expect to see the Ford brand.
Results
The Sunday Telegraph Super Panorama was an agency media first.
The overall reach and frequency for the print campaign was over 60% of ABC1 adults at a frequency of over 3.00 - equivalent to over 16,000,000 people.
The number of people who agreed with the statement 'Ford Motor Company is changing for the better' doubled over the four-week period.
In six weeks, awareness to the term 'Unlearn' equaled that of other campaigns that had run over 30 years.
Task
• What is the primary purpose of Ford's Unlearn advertising campaign?
• How did the advertising campaign affect consumers' perceptions on Ford?
• Do you agree or disagree that Ford's Unlearn campaign is effective? Please explain.
• What is the role of "creativity" in this advertising campaign?
The response must include a reference list. Using one-inch margins, double-space, Times New Roman 12 pnt font and APA style of writing and citations.