When real people express opinions, real impressions get made.
The working title around the office was “Drive One 3.0.” An accurate description, given that this was to be the third iteration of the ongoing Ford “Drive One” brand campaign. The hallmark of the creative so far? Reactions from both Ford employees and Ford drivers about Ford products. It worked. The brand promise came through genuinely and we got really high metrics and really nice reviews.
So how do you keep doing testimonials in a fresh new way? Easy. You just don’t tell the customers what’s about to happen to them. We engaged Ford owners by asking them to come to a one-on-one market research interview. They’d answer a few questions about their vehicle, get 50 bucks, a cookie and a beverage and be on their way.
Imagine their surprise when they walked into not an ordinary conference room but a full-on, White House briefing-style press conference room. Filled with an imposing legion of reporters, photographers and journalists and a cluster of microphones. As the questions came flying, the answers came thoughtfully. And entertainingly.