Ford wants you to forget ‘Mondeo Man’ and think Ford GT or Edge SUV

Ford is launching a new advertising campaign to try and get car buyers to ‘Unlearn’ Mondeo Man, and think Ford GT or Edge SUV instead.

Preconceptions are a difficult thing for businesses, particularly if they’re trying to reinvent themselves. And that seems to be exactly the challenge Ford has as they seek to convince car buyers just how good their cars are.

So they’ve come up with a new advertising campaign to get car buyers to look at Ford with new eyes.

Instead of ‘Mondeo Man’ – aspirational, perhaps, but not seeking the finer things – as the stereotypical Ford buyer, Ford wants prospective buyers to think of more impressive cars – like the Ford GT, new Mustang and even the new Edge SUV – as products from Ford that are a cut above the mainstream.

But instead of ramming that message down buyers throats, Ford is choosing to run a campaign that challenges preconceptions in life more generally.

That means looking at an OAP like Fauja Singh – still running marathons at 104 – rather than a doddery, forgetful, frail man, and realising that pets don’t have to be just cats and dogs, but they can be like Tiddles – a micropig that thinks it’s a cat.

Andy Barratt, Ford of Britain MD, said:

The campaign is about taking a fresh look at the familiar and anyone in the UK who takes a fresh look at Ford may be surprised by what they find.

We now have a line up of vehicles that demonstrate our performance prowess and innovation, from the Ford GT which will race this year at Le Mans, to our new flagship SUV, Edge, which is laden with driver-helping technology.

And to be fair to Ford – and Andy Barratt – there’s a lot of sense in the argument.

Ford is tarred with the mainstream brush in the UK, where everyone thinks Ford is competent and able, but far from inspiring and aspirational.

But in truth, their cars really are appealing, and not just headline stuff like the Mustang, Focus RS and Ford GT, but right across the board.

The ‘Unlearn’ campaign seems a much better way to go to get buyers to think of Fords as aspirational than bolting a ‘Vignale’ badge on the back. Sadly, it’s still going to be an uphill battle to change mindsets.