The Ford F-150 television commercial will begin airing on Wednesday, Dec. 31, making it the vehicle's first national advertising campaign venture. Being consistently named as the bestselling truck in 38 years, Ford is commemorating the feat in what is touted as the largest and most diverse campaign that the company has ever had for its well-loved pickup truck.
Ford is aiming for the college football bowl games as the best time of the year to release the commercial where it is set to highlight how much the pickup can haul and tow with its aluminum body finish. One thing that will not be mentioned in the commercial is the vehicle's fuel-economy gains, which is also one of the truck's main attributes.
"It's not going to diminish our customers' interest in buying a new F-150," said Doug Scott, Ford truck group marketing manager. "When we ask our customers what their No. 1 unmet need is, no matter what the fuel price was, it was always better fuel economy."
According to Chantel Lenard, Ford's director of U.S. marketing, truck buyers' top priorities are durability and capability. With these in mind, the first three F-150 commercials will feature such qualities and will appear in the new playoff series of college football. This will include the Sugar, Rose, Cotton, Fiesta, Orange and Peach bowls wherein the commercial is set to air for the next two days. It will then culminate in the national championship round scheduled on Jan. 12.
"As launches go, we're probably advertising the new one a little bit sooner," said Scott. "Normally, we would wait to break our advertising until we get to a 50-50 mix of old and new trucks, but this College Football Playoff is such an attractive property."
To be more specific, the Ford F-150 commercials will focus on the truck's redesigned aluminum construction, a much lighter curb weight and a bunch of new electronic upgrades. It will also include the truck's haul ratings and status as the best-selling vehicle in America for over three decades.
"From 30-second TV spots to in-depth videos, our new ads and online content demonstrate to customers where we've delivered improved capability, while proving the F-150 is a performer to help them get the job done," said Lenard.
The ads will carry the slogan "the future of tough" and will show the truck being on several job sites where it is seen towing heavy trailers and hauling big loads. The voice of the F-150 is credited to comedian Denis Leary who will be heard saying the words "high-strength, military-grade aluminum alloy body, up to 700 pounds lighter, so you can haul even more."
