- Ford is asking consumers to design artwork for digital billboards that will go up in major cities across the country, from Times Square to the San Francisco Bay Bridge
- As part of Ford’s exciting new By Design car campaign, the company is bringing a new level of interactivity to outdoor advertising, showcasing how the company’s products make consumers feel
- To make this experience even more unique, consumer will receive a “billboard selfie” – a webcam shot of their design from cameras located across from the billboards
Ford’s newest billboards won’t be designed by the company, but by its consumers.
Ford By Design Car Advertising Campaign © Ford Motor Company
As part of the company’s new By Design car advertising campaign, Ford is encouraging consumers to design artwork for digital billboards that will go up in major cities across the country, from Times Square to the San Francisco Bay Bridge.
“We wanted consumers to experience and be a part of our brand in a unique way,” said Lisa Schoder, Ford digital marketing manager. “By showcasing what our consumers’ vehicles mean to them, we have made their individual expressions the driving message of our campaign.”
To create a one-of-a-kind design, the consumer will go to www.FordByDesign.com on their computer or smartphone and select one of six major cities and their car of choice, along with an assortment of colors and effects to complete the artwork. When the user’s creation is submitted, Ford will then display it to a billboard in the city chosen by the artist. Along with the user’s design, the billboard will also display the artist’s first name and hometown.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_0ufq-5c4s&feature=youtu.be
Users can decide to display their artwork on a billboard in high-traffic locations such as Times Square in New York City, the Bay Bridge in San Francisco, as well as locations in Los Angeles, Miami, Chicago and Washington, D.C.
To make this experience even more unique, consumer will receive a “billboard selfie” – a webcam shot of their design in the chosen location from cameras located across from the billboards. After the consumer receives the image, they can post it directly to their Facebook and Twitter accounts to share their design with others.
“The By Design campaign goes far beyond how our cars look. It’s about how our cars make you feel,” said Schoder. “We are turning the lens on to the consumer, allowing users to create our ads and really letting them feel connected ‘by design.’”
How Does It Work?
A user visits www.fordbydesign.com and creates a unique design and submits it for display in a city of their choice. The design is then sent to the queue for the ad board server in this city and it is displayed in a matter of minutes dependent upon demand. Once the design goes live on the billboard, there is a digital script that takes a “billboard selfie” and sends it via email to the design creator who can then use links within the message to post to their own social media channels.
By Design
Ford launched By Design, a fully-integrated marketing experience, in October. The campaign connects consumers to the purpose in every facet of Ford vehicles, from the feel of the seats to the response of the engine and the look of the grille.
By Design conveys more than just car design aesthetics: Ford aims to show how technology in cars help make customers’ lives easy, as well as how the vehicle makes them feel.
