- Ford approached competitive vehicle owners in Marietta, Ga., and Windsor, Calif., earlier this year, asking them to drive a Ford for a week and then pass it on to a friend to try.
- Windsor campaign participant Christine Wall was so smitten with her test-drive in the Ford Edge that she sold her fairly new Civic to buy an Edge of her own.
- Cameras rolled as Wall took delivery of her 2008 Ford Edge at WC Sanderson Ford in Healdsburg, Calif., on April 25.
DEARBORN, Mich., April 28, 2008 – Before she was approached to participate in Ford’s “Town-to-Town, Friend-to-Friend” campaign, Christine Wall thought the only thing the company made was trucks. She had never even heard of the Ford Edge.
“When they showed me the car I’d be test-driving, I was shocked,” says Wall. “I said, ‘That’s a Ford?’ ”
Wall continued to be pleasantly surprised throughout her weeklong experience. “I loved everything about the Edge, from the way it looked to the way it handled to the way it felt to sit in it,” Wall says. “It had every little bell and whistle I wanted, and it was a pleasure to drive.”
When the week was up, Wall was sorry to see the Edge roll away without her. “I said to my husband, ‘Honey, I think we should get an Edge.’ ”
“I think I would have been perfectly happy to keep driving my 2006 Honda had I never tried the Edge,” says Wall, who had not been planning to replace her relatively new Civic anytime soon. “I’m a financial analyst, so I’m very practical. I suppose I could have waited until I needed a new car to make the switch to the Edge, but it was just such a change in the driving experience for me.”
Still, because Wall and her husband Mike research major purchases, they didn’t just run out and plunk down their money on an Edge. “We spent several weekends test-driving everything, including a Honda CR-V, a Nissan Murano, a Mazda CX-7 and a Subaru Tribeca,” says Wall, who, with the exception of one GM vehicle, has always owned imports. “In the end, I decided the Ford was still my favorite.”
On April 25, she took delivery on a 2008 Edge in White Sand at her local dealer – W.C. Sanderson Ford in Healdsburg, Calif.
“Christine is a true brand ambassador and a testament to the ideation behind our new ‘Drive one’ campaign,” says Kim Cape, Marketing Communications manager for Ford. “When Christine handed over the keys to her good friend Jessica Clester for the Friend-to-Friend portion of the test drive, she was not only excited to talk about her experience driving the Edge but her enthusiasm for all the features she loved, like the power liftgate, the Panoramic Vista Roof and especially SYNC.”
Indeed, Wall is tickled about every aspect of her new Edge, from its paint job, which she says “sparkles,” to the hands-free connectivity convenience – and fun – that SYNC offers. “I used to think of driving as just a way to get from Point A to Point B,” Wall says. “Ford has helped me truly enjoy my time on the road.”
“Drive one”
On April 8, Ford debuted “Drive one,” a national marketing campaign that highlights the work of 400-plus employees, thousands of hours of research and production, as well as dealer insights, to underscore to consumers its leadership in quality, safety, “green” and smart technologies.
New broadcast, print and digital media will highlight the company’s new products and major accomplishments through Ford employees’ voices and their stories. In addition to the ads, the “learning center” web site www.forddriveone.com will have richer and more detailed content, again featuring Ford employees. The site is designed to be as valuable to consumers as to Ford employees, retirees and dealers.
Concurrent with the national launch of “Drive one,” Ford dealers around the country have begun airing a complementary series of television, print and digital ads built around the theme “Town-to-Town, Friend-to-Friend.”
Ford approached competitive vehicle owners in Marietta, Ga., and Windsor, Calif., earlier this year, asking them to drive a Ford for a week and then pass it on to a friend to try. Crews filmed 180 test drives to create more than 20 unscripted 30-second regional commercials covering nearly the entire product line.
“The true essence behind our new marketing communications platform is to change consumers’ perceptions of the Ford brand by getting behind the wheel and driving one,” says Cape. “Christine is a perfect example of someone who was pleasantly surprised by what Ford vehicles have to offer, and through testimonies like Christine’s, we hope more consumers will check us out as well.”
About Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company, a global automotive industry leader based in Dearborn, Mich., manufactures or distributes automobiles in 200 markets across six continents. With about 245,000 employees and about 100 plants worldwide, the company’s core and affiliated automotive brands include Ford, Jaguar, Land Rover, Lincoln, Mercury, Volvo and Mazda. The company provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company. For more information regarding Ford’s products, please visit www.ford.com.
