As a feminist, naturally I was baffled when my TikTok algorithm presented me with an ad for a "Ford Explorer Men's Only Edition", during Women's History Month, on International Women's Day. My initial thought was that this had to be a joke, and I'm sure glad I was right. As soon as this assignment was introduced, I knew this satirical ad was marketing genius that I had to share with the class.
Considering this ad was so remarkable it was the first thing to come to my mind, I knew I would have no problem finding an informative article about it. Out of the many options, I chose Business Insider's article, "Ford's satirical Women's Day ad touts a 'car for men' with no blinkers, windshield wipers, or heaters". The title of this article is a great introduction of the brilliance of this ad; it was appealing because of its ridiculousness and sarcasm. The article discusses how the ad at first seems to be to sell a car for only men, but the features following, such as no windshield wipers, GPS, rearview mirror, and more, were so far-fetched an inconvenient that audiences questioned what the point of this product was. That's when Ford dropped the ultimate plot twist: They weren't pitching a car for men, they were promoting a car by men, lacking all of the additions to our everyday drives created by women that are often taken for granted. One of the main reasons I chose this specific article out of all the options was because they went on to describe statements made in the press release for this commercial, as well as statistics on the disparities between men and women in the transportation industry. During the press release, Ford credited various women for their innovations that allowed for modern day comfort. This ad subtly promotes women's involvement in the auto sector, as well with only 27% of managers being women in 2021 and even less in "transportation, storage and distribution" management roles.
According to Ford's homepage, they acknowledge the importance of changing with the times. Their value proposition involves this, with the first text on their welcome page being, "We honor our legacy as we build the future, a better world for generations to come". Their marketing plan for Women's History Month is undeniable proof that they are being honest about their value proposition; the fight for equality has been underway for decades and has been a particularly touchy and controversial subject in recent years. Ford is using this controversy to get their name out there and push their products instead of ignoring the controversy. Even more impressively, they were able to make an empowering joke about the importance of women, rather than a condescending or offensive joke. "Alpha-male" TikTok commentors should be taking notes. This proves both the marketing relevance of the commercial and the challenges they had to overcome; Ford knows the fight for women's rights is relevant right now and are able to address this in their ad sensitively.
This marketing approach is undeniably unique. It's a risk in itself to advertise with a joke because plenty of jokes don't land, but to land a joke that could potentially go in an offensive direction is pure marketing genius. This commercial has shock value, an emotional impact on the audience, and strong modern-day relevance, which makes it a truly remarkable and successful ad. It stays in viewers minds and even in their conversations, as I was quick to send this to my boyfriend and mom because of the satisfying plot twist. The buyer persona it appealed most to is a demographic I think Ford isn't necessarily successful with now. Most Ford owners I know are driving big fat trucks, and there's nothing wrong with that, but you know none of my little liberal friends are going out and buying F250's. This appeals to an audience with feminist buyer personas, a demographic that Ford may not sell the most cars too (I have no idea the statistics I just feel like this makes sense). With that being said, I really don't think there is a single thing I would change about this ad. It would be nice if they maybe credited the women innovators of the features they mentioned for some seconds at the end of the ad, but I'm happy enough with them doing it in the press release. This ad was truly appealing to me!
If I was the brand manager at Ford, I would simply keep doing what I was doing. I would make sure to stay involved with issues today's buyers are invested in and continue practicing as much corporate social responsibility as possible. As we discussed in class, making an emotional connection with buyers is the most effective way to get a sale, and by doing those two things, I think Ford could see more success within their company. This commercial, article, and assignment really proved to me the importance of touching people's emotions. Whether it's anger, shock, validation, or any other emotion for that matter, your brand and marketing are much more likely to stick with someone- and even be promoted by someone- than a strictly informative ad. I feel like it's important to note that I didn't see the Ford ad by Ford, but rather by another content creator on TikTok who dueted the video with their reaction. This advertisement got the buzz and reaction it was created for.
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