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The greying of the great white hope

Zoe, my seven year old daughter thinks fart jokes are funny. This piece from Ford confuses me. It seems to deny what Ford itself represents. I am not intimate with what Ford does represent. But I am sure this isn't it.

Planning gone mad.

Not sure at all what the insight is that might persuade prospects to change their behaviours.

I am worried that contemporary vehicles (excuse the pun) for advertisers are being hijacked by people who have found a new environment to be self serving in. One that is not constrained by either the time limits imposed by TV channel owners or the fetters of advertising standards in 'legacy' media.

Can I suggest a heretic idea? Has 'Planning' done its dash for the advertising business? It was once the 'Great white hope' - whatever that ever meant. Are we in need of new methods and terms that don't simply perpetuate 1960s ideas from the first blush of 'creativity' in advertising?

The Ford ad above seems to me to be a denial of the brand or an apology - buried away (discretely?) on the web. "We're not really MOR…we're edgy…like you…what?…you're not?)

What do you think?

Comments

  1. Stanley Johnson2:15 am

    I've been doing a lot of work with an auto brand over the last few months.

    Apparently the the average Ford buyer is in their mid fifties. I don't believe that myself, but surely the Ford data geeks can't be wrong.

    Anyway, I can't imagine that those average Ford buyers are gonna see that ad and go "Mmmm! I must buy myself a Ford on the weekend."

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