Ford: Mustang Mach-E Backgrounder

The Challenge

The Ford Mustang Mach-E all-electric SUV is a huge leap for Ford in many ways. Mach-E is a showpiece of Ford’s comprehensive effort to create a complete electrified ecosystem for its customers. It’s the launchpad for Ford’s revolutionary next-generation SYNC connectivity system. It’s evidence of how Ford is thinking very differently about the design, development and marketing of vehicles in the rapidly changing world of transportation and mobility. In short, Mach-E had a lot of stories to tell that couldn’t be told in your standard 15-minute press conference at the Los Angeles Auto Show, which is where Ford was slated to introduce the vehicle to the world. Ford needed a multidimensional, pre-reveal immersion experience for media and other audiences.

The Idea

An aircraft hangar right in the backyard of a high-profile electrified rival was chosen to introduce the new, all-electric Mustang SUV. Gail & Rice worked closely with clients to divide the Mach-E story into seven segments, which then took shape as defined experience areas at the backgrounder.

Content Development: Gail & Rice crafted scripts and presentations for Ford’s subject matter experts, as well as graphics, videos, signage and experiential props to turn complicated information into clear and memorable stories.

Immersive Experiences: Guests broke into groups and rotated throughout seven guided experiences, from design walkarounds, to battery and motor exhibits, to tech demos, to a charging ecosystem immersion and finally to an exhilarating ride in a prototype vehicle.

The Result

With one investment, Ford was able to reach national and international media groups, industry analysts and select dealers. The proof that Ford is poised as a technology, transportation and mobility leader for the next 100 years was clearly on display. Together with Ford’s other Mach-E media initiatives, the Jet Center event contributed to a total earned reach of 837.5 million with 16K stories ... nearly four times Ford’s target metric.