Ford Unveils First Global Ad Campaign For The Focus

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Award for most ground-breaking ad campaign of the week goes to WPP-owned Blue Hive, which has just delivered the global advertising strategy for Ford's new look Focus.

All told, there are 50 ad executions, each of which spotlights one of 14 technological features in the model. An example is a 20 second TV execution which demonstrates Active Park Assist, which helps the car to park itself automatically.

The global nature of the campaign reflects Ford's over-arching brand strategy, which will see the company launch global models, rather than distinct regional versions of its cars. However the decision to create 50 executions is so that on-the-ground marketing teams can add some local flavour. Some ads, for example, focus on fuel efficiency – a matter of great concern to drivers in various parts of the Ford universe.

This bespoke advertising approach is an important point, since references to the Focus as a global brand are intended for the industry only. Ford acknowledges that consumers "don't care" if a car is global, only if it meets their own specific requirements. For Ford, global is about production efficiency and marketing consistency. On the latter point, WPP has organised all Ford activity around a dedicated unit, rather than relying on a mix and match solution from its diverse network of agencies. WPP CEO Martin Sorrell expects this brand-led approach to agency activity to become more prominent going forward. The first ads launch in the US on March 1st and will arrive in Europe later this month.