Gearbox vs. Voicebox
Background
In 1999, Ford launched a brand campaign celebrating the role of Ford Transit in Britain, a campaign that has remained in the hearts and minds of the British workforce since.
20 years on, Ford wanted to reassert its position as the leader in commercial vehicles, and celebrate the range of vans and pickups which continue to be the vehicles of choice for the British workforce.
Strategy
Despite a backdrop of uncertainty in 2019 Britain, people are still earning, raising families and moving purposefully forward – keeping calm and carrying on.
And at the heart of this are all of the small and medium businesses who go out every day to earn a living; growing their business and, in turn, providing the backbone to our economy.
For them to succeed, they need a commercial vehicle they can depend on. And with the blue oval on well over a third of all new commercial vehicles sold, Ford CVs are the beating heart of that infrastructure which keeps Britain moving.
Creative Idea
An epic ode to the workers of Britain, the work they do, and the vehicles they rely on every day to get the job done.
A united force, if you like, driving the country forward.
Execution
In the spirit of the campaign message, we shot TV, social and print the length and breadth of the country, from Preston and Liverpool to Farnborough and Somerset.
TV was shot by Mark Molloy, delivering great storytelling at an epic scale and ensuring we created a film that spoke honestly of the great work the British workforce do in their Ford Commercial Vehicles every day. Photography for print and social was shot by Simon Pushmann, who knew just how to give heroic status to Ford CVs and their drivers.
For the music track, we needed something as iconic and as loved as Ford CVs are today. Queen is indisputably one of Britain’s most iconic bands. We chose We Will Rock You as the perfect rousing anthem to celebrate the spirit of the British workforce.
