Every brand wants to generate conversations in the social space. We went a step further and partnered with Jalopnik to bring the people behind the social conversations face-to-face with each other and the object of their commentary – the sexy new 2013 Ford Fusion.
The collaboration between Jalopnik and our creative and media teams was critical to shaping this execution.
When a small team of Ford scientists discovered how to turn crops into plastic car parts, and dramatically cut the amount of petroleum used in the process, it was a story of technology, innovation and sustainability. To tell that story, we partnered with the New York Times T-Brand Studios to creative this long-form, interactive editorial content.
Story researched and written by Chris Walton
Show, don’t tell, is a maxim for good writing … and good advertising. And that’s what we did in this digital campaign that shows some of the really smart science that goes into each and every Ford vehicle.
Creative Director, writer: Chris Walton
I interviewed the SMEs and wrote the scripts for these videos.
Mutual of Omaha was well-known to people old enough to remember watching “Wild Kingdom” in the 70s and 80s. But to people under the age of 50, not so much. We created a content program that would speak to the 25-45 year-old audience, not by trying to sell them life insurance, but by prompting discussions around some of the end-of-life issues every family must eventually face.
Story researched and written by Chris Walton.
Click on image to the right to see the full piece.
I helped lead a team of editors, writers and designers in producing this lifestyle magazine in both digital and print format. The print version is distributed three times a year to more than 4 million Chevy owners. Click the link below to see a full layout of Issue #21.
As U.S. wildfires grow in number and intensity, traditional re-forestation methods are struggling to keep up with the loss of trees. This tech start-up has an idea that might help: Drone seeding.
Story researched and written by Chris Walton
Muscle car mavens have traditionally resisted, and even detested, the notion of electric powertrains. But with some world-renown aftermarket shops getting into the conversion game, a growing number of speed enthusiasts see electrification as the next evolution in high performance hot rodding.
Story researched and written by Chris Walton
When supply shortages of the all-new aluminum F-150 caused sales to dip in 2015, it was all hands-on-deck to pitch quick-hit digital ideas that could boost sales back to where they belong. Our idea won and a few weeks later, these videos went live.
Disruptive? To change the brand perceptions of millennials, we sold Ford (a pretty conservative car company) on the idea of partnering with VICE (a notoriously controversial media company) to make a short documentary on cities around the globe that are going car-less. The result was this mini-doc that asks, “What kind of a car company is interested in a future without cars?” The answer: A company committed to making urban living better through mobility, sustainability and freedom of movement.
To get tech-savvy 20- and 30-somethings interested in the Ford Focus, we skipped the typical corporate spokesperson and went with an orange puppet. In addition to producing 50 videos, we amplified the Doug phenomenon through an array of online integrations as well as Doug’s Facebook and Twitter accounts.
THE MISSION: Introduce young car buyers to Ford’s voice-activated SYNC technology.
THE STRATEGY: Intercept this younger audience where they live online – Xbox.
THE SECRET WEAPON: Master Chief, the hero of the insanely popular video game, Halo.
THE EXECUTION: Create an entire experience on Xbox featuring Steve Downes, the professional voice actor behind the character of Master Chief.
NASCAR superstar Carl Edwards was the perfect choice to show Ford Taurus engineers what their twin-turbo creation could do on a racetrack with a pro at the wheel. And CBS Sports talk show host Jim Rome, with his rabid fan base, was the perfect choice to get sports fans to watch Edwards tear up the track in a Taurus.
To understand the extent to which the Michigan Central Train Station had become an icon of urban decay and abandonment, just Google “ruin porn.” When Ford Motor Co. bought the building in June of 2018 and announced plans to develop the surrounding neighborhoods, we shot these portraits of Ford employees and community activists in the former train station to both honor the history of Detroit and celebrate Ford’s vision for rebuilding the city into a hub of automotive innovation.
Creative director: Chris Walton
An audience particularly primed for the arrival of the Ford GT was gamers, who could forego the $400,000 price tag and drive the super-car in the world’s most popular driving game, Forza. We partnered with Xbox to produce an in-game experience that included the top-secret story of how Forza designers built the car into the game when the car didn’t yet exist.
Since it debuted on April 17, 1964, Mustang has inspired fans to express themselves not just on the road but in some amazingly creative ways. To celebrate National Mustang Day (April 17) we collected fans’ Pony-inspired creativity in this social video - a love letter from Ford to the fans inspired by Mustang.
To demonstrate the extreme utility of the 2015 Expedition, we sent six groups of outdoor enthusiasts across the U.S. to find uncharted adventures, and we got it all on film. The branded content was targeted directly to outdoor enthusiasts in Expedition’s key sales markets.
For Pi Day 2015 (3.14.15) Ford-sponsored stunt driver Ken Block (3 million followers on Instagram) offered fans his take on the ratio of a circle’s circumference to its diameter, aka “a way to measure donuts.”
