Ford targets train commuters to allay electric car concerns

Ford has launched an outdoor campaign, targeted at commuters to allay concerns that electric vehicles cannot travel long distances without recharging.

The campaign for the all-electric Ford Mustang Mach-E leverages live data from National Rail to deliver dynamic tailored messages on JCDecaux’s @motion digital six-sheets.

Ads served at afternoon travellers include “Exeter St. David’s and back on a full charge” or “Nottingham on a 10-minute charge” to showcase the Mustang Mach-E’s 379-mile range on a single charge.

Ford has employed WPP agencies Kinetic Worldwide, Mindshare, GTB, DOOH.com and JCDecaux to deliver the campaign, which hopes to capitalise on increased footfall on weekdays between 4.30pm and 7.30pm at 22 railway stations across the country.

Employees entering offices in major UK cities rose last week to 90% of pre-Covid levels from 58% a week earlier, according to data from Metrikus cited by Bloomberg.

The data-driven OOH campaign will tie in with an experiential activation at Birmingham New Street (13–17 September) and London Waterloo (20-24 September) where people will be able to see the Mustang Mach-E on the concourse and book a test drive.

Howard Kee, marketing communications manager at Ford, said: “WPP have created the opportunity for Ford to address the myths of EV ownership and surprise customers with how easy it now is to live with an electric vehicle in all parts of their day-to-day life.”