Client
Ford
Project
100 Years
The Challenge
Ford has been in Ireland for 100 years. The challenge was to highlight this proud and remarkable presence in a poignant way.
The Idea
Ford’s presence in Ireland divided into a mini-series of Past, Present and Future. This enabled Ford’s story to be told through time, from its early years to its importance in the country today; as well as its ongoing relevance to Ireland in the future.
The Outcome
- The Past: A letter describing Henry Ford’s celebrated journey to Cork and the opening of the Ford factory.
- The Present: An interview with a ‘Ford Man’. Now in his 90’s, Gus McLaughlin recalled what it was like to work in the Ford Factory through the years.
- The Future: In order to show the exciting new features that Ford were working on, children were asked to imagine how they would like to travel in the future. Their imaginations were almost a match with what Ford are planning to add to all cars in the next few years!
Ford also wanted to leverage their Vehicle Sponsorship of the FAI in the run-up to the Euros of 2016.
Whilst they were the Official Vehicle Sponsors of the FAI, Ford did not have any sponsorship of the Euros. They wanted to take a guerilla-styled marketing approach and create a film that enabled them to participate in the hype of the Euros 2016 without mentioning the Euros 2016!
The Outcome: Three dyed-in-the-wool Irish Football Fans remember their 1988 journey to Stuttgart, alongside Eamon Dunphy and Packie Bonner. A film brought to you by Ford:
The Results: The film garnered over 1 million views and Ford beat all other brands – including the Official Sponsors of the Euros, with the largest increase in consumer sentiment through their association with the Irish football team. (Livewire stats 2016).