Feb
04

Lincoln announces partnership to help alpacas

By | LOL

Last night many automakers used their advertising spots during Super Bowl 47 to highlight partnership announcements. Most notably, Jeep announced a commitment to partner with the USO to help troops when they return from combat called Operation S.A.F.E Return. Jeep will provide vehicles to the USO and establish an employment initiative to help get veterans back to work.

During the Ram Trucks ad, the brand highlighted their continued support to the Future Farmers of America (FFA) by prominently displaying the FFA logo at the end of their ad.

There is one announcement that went unnoticed.

During Lincoln’s second Super Bowl ad a new MKZ stops to allow a herd of alpaca to cross the road. That stop was a metaphor for Lincoln’s [Read more...]

Feb
01

Twitter drives Lincoln Super Bowl ad into a ditch

By | Industry

You may be asking yourself what the hell rally pacenotes have to do with Lincoln Motor Company. If you concluded; not a damn thing – you’re exactly right. Pat yourself on the back.

Millions of others will reach a similar conclusion when the luxury brand’s Super Bowl ad airs this weekend.  All across America people will slow-turn to the person next to them, curious if they to have the same dumb What the F…look on their face.

Social Media Sourcing

This new ad is the culmination of tens-of-hours planning and millions of dollars spent. Gurus, experts, masters – even ninjas were likely brought in to come up with a strategy [Read more...]

Apr
11

Lincoln’s Challenges

By | Industry

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Last week I participated in a live Facebook discussion about Lincoln with Jim Farley, VP of Global Marketing, Ford Motor Company. I asked Farley how Lincoln would improve the client experience, “training and lots of it” he said. I also asked him to describe in three words or less the message he wanted to get convey to buyers, he simply replied, “provocative.”

Product. Not the problem. [Read more...]

Dec
17

Future of Lincoln

By | Industry

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Earlier in the week it was announced that Team Detroit (Dearborn, Michigan) would open a new not-yet-named office in New York City to tackle the rebirth of Ford’s luxury brand, Lincoln. Heading this organization, Cameron McNaughton of McNaughton Automotive Perspectives (MAP). I pulled the following text from a post on the MAP blog titled “Does the concept of ‘Tier 1 Luxury’ have a future?”:

“I think the future of luxury rests with the next generation and if I were introducing a new luxury entrant or re-building a luxury brand I would focus all of my energy on understanding how Millenials will define luxury and what I need to do to satisfy their requirements.

The luxury segment is going to go through a transformation and becoming a “Tier 1” brand with all its trappings represents “old luxury.” The long-term winners will figure out how to become the new generation’s luxury brand without losing their existing customer base. Fortunately, boomers are consumed with the need to be perceived as youthful and forward looking, so chances are if their kids think something is cool, they will too.”

Whether it was McNaughton who posted this or an associate at MAP, this could be [Read more...]