Ford embraces quiet nostalgia
Ford’s ‘Born to Compete’ by Wieden+Kennedy is a smart reset that nods to the brand’s origin story without turning into a museum piece.
Created by Wieden+Kennedy London (W+K) as part of Ford’s broader 'Ready Set Ford' platform, the film sees four children race tyres down sand dunes. The race gradually escalates until the tyres emerge over a desert precipice, transformed into a Ford vehicle.
That stripped-back idea focuses less on any particular car and more on the brand’s racing heritage, which is depicted as something innate in people of any age.
The use of “Memória” by Rosalía gives the film an emotional edge at odds with the sort of straight sports montage many might be expecting.
The soundtrack and the desert setting put the ad in contrast to your typical mountain scene, masculine aesthetic, in keeping with a spate of recent innovative automobile ads.
The campaign is directed by Aoife McArdle, with cinematography by Adolpho Veloso. Compared with Ford’s earlier W+K work, like ‘Doing Beats Talking’, the action here is far more myth-building than people-focused.
‘Born to Compete’ is part of a larger European relaunch that reframes Ford around ‘Thrill, Build and Adventure’.
Our take
Legacy gazing can all too often erase the present. Here, however, Ford manages to nod to its racing DNA, while conjuring a forward-facing sense of reverence.
The music and awe is oddly akin to the iconic Sony Bravia ‘Bouncy Balls’ (2005) ad in that the viewer is lulled into a meditative state.
We couldn’t help but think of Audi as the four rings rolled by serenely. But maybe that’s just us.
Credits
Brand: Ford Motor Company
Agency: Wieden+Kennedy London
Director: Aoife McArdle
Director of Photography: Adolpho Veloso
Music: “Memória” by Rosalía y Carminho.
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