2010 Ford Taurus ads will target 46-year-old men who want innovation at a value

The 2010 Ford Taurus just started rolling into dealerships last week and Ford is now gearing up for a huge marketing campaign that will use football and the Web to try to convince a new set of customers that the Taurus is no longer a boring and dull vehicle.

“Part of the effort is to say we’re not just a truck and Mustang company,” said Matt VanDyke, Ford’s U.S. marketing communications director, “We have cars and crossovers that we need to be known for.”

The 2010 Ford Taurus ads will have high-profile spots on sports broadcasts including NFL games, a place where Ford previously reserved exclusively for its pickups. VanDyke says that Ford’s target customer for the 2010 Taurus is a 46-year-old man who wants the latest innovations at a value, reports Automotive News.

The 2010 Taurus campaign will also have a higher percentage of Internet and digital advertising and event marketing than any other launch for Ford.

Follow the jump for the press release.

2010 Ford Taurus:

Press Release:

FORD KICKS OFF HIGH-ENERGY TAURUS AD CAMPAIGN FOCUSING ON TECHNOLOGY, INNOVATION, STYLE

– 2010 Ford Taurus advertising campaign debuts Aug. 4, targeting discerning consumers with a high-tech, detail-oriented focus on technology, innovation and style
– Five demonstration Webisodes pit the Ford flagship sedan’s technology features and quality against more expense luxury sedans from Audi, Lexus, Acura and Infiniti
– The new 2010 Ford Taurus offers unprecedented levels of technology and innovation for the segment at an entry-level price of $25,995 – same price as the outgoing model

DEARBORN, Mich., July 30, 2009 – Ford’s all-new technology-packed 2010 Taurus will have a multifaceted advertising campaign that will be as high-tech as the highly anticipated sedan now arriving in dealer showrooms.

Ford kicks off the advertising campaign for Taurus on Aug. 4, with an aggressive Web presence and a new Microsoft “tag” system that will allow consumers to simply point their Smart Phones toward barcodes printed next to technology features in Taurus ads for more in-depth information.

With more than 20 high-tech technologies to communicate on the new Taurus, some even industry firsts and 10 of them class-exclusive, Taurus takes on communicating these technologies “smartly” and with a new approach to advertising.

“The convenience and ability to offer customers additional information at the touch of their mobile device speaks volumes on how technologically advanced the new Taurus is,” said Matt VanDyke, Ford marketing director. “This high-tech marketing process will showcase the attention to detail that customers shopping for Taurus will appreciate.”

Taurus ads debuting on prime-time network and cable channels will show customers how the new sedan offers the quality and technology of world-class luxury sedans with a much more affordable price tag.

The 2010 Taurus, starting at $25,995, the same price as the 2009 model, has been completely redesigned and elevated from its forerunners and includes Ford exclusives such as MyKey^TM, SYNC®, Multi-Contour Seats with Active Motion^TM and Blind Spot Information System (BLIS®).

“Taurus is the right sedan for the times,” said Jim Farley, group vice president of Global Marketing. “This is the perfect car to showcase our commitment to engineering excellence and precision. It’s the ideal car to show what Ford is capable of.”

Special car for a unique set of customers
With a vehicle that has so much going for it – superior engineering, class-leading technologies, impeccable driving dynamics – Ford creative team members charged with marketing the 2010 Taurus were in the enviable position of having many positive attributes from which to choose.

Today, the 2010 Taurus is being marketed toward a very specific customer – a value-oriented “substance seeker” who appreciates a heightened attention to detail and is looking for the latest innovations without having to break his or her bank account. Ford has developed a new way of catching this consumer’s attention by using detail-oriented ads that speak a visual language this group appreciates. They watch, they listen and they spread the word.

“This is a whole new approach to using “˜word of mouth’ that will showcase our fantastic new Taurus,” VanDyke said. “Just as Taurus is reshaping the idea of what a sedan can be, this campaign will reshape how people learn about Taurus.”

High-energy advertising complements re-energized Taurus
The campaign will include three broadcast spots focusing on some of the leading Taurus technologies including BLIS®, SYNC® and EcoBoost^TM. To showcase the advanced technologies, each spot begins focusing on the intricacy of the details before bringing to light the bigger picture.

For instance, a high-tech concept, like Ford’s sophisticated EcoBoost^TM twin-turbocharged, direct-injection engine technology begins to explain it graphically as the ad pulls out an illustration of the engine and then uses a “see and say” graphic, wrapping the narrated words around the illustration itself before ending on dynamic running footage of the Taurus.

“It’s our job to take the technology to consumers, and demonstrate how it can improve their overall experience behind the wheel,” said Farley. “Everything we do in this campaign is designed to draw people in and entice them to learn more about the Taurus, online or in our dealerships.”

The Web challenge
Online, the technology and quality of Taurus is brought to life in five short, dramatic Webisodes that showcase particular features against those of significantly higher-priced luxury sedans.

For instance, can the paint quality of the Taurus stand up to a $70,000 Lexus? Why not put them both behind a gravel truck and find out?

These Webisodes, which form the digital aspect of the campaign, will debut on www.fordvehicles.com and showcase the advanced technologies that put Taurus on par with world-class sedans in a minute and a half.

“We aren’t trying to put Taurus in a luxury market – that’s not the point of these,” said Jonathan Beebe of the Ford digital launch integration team. “Our goal is to say, “˜You’re not going to believe this is a Taurus. Look at the technology in this. Look at the quality. Why consider anything else in this segment?’ ”

Tag it’s yours
Customers with Smart Phones will be able to find out more information on Taurus’ most advanced technologies by scanning “tags” in Taurus print ads.

This new tagging system by Microsoft creates an individual barcode for each technology that can be captured by any Smart Phone. Once it captures an image of the tag it will load animations, additional information and images of that particular technology directly to the consumer’s mobile device.

Telling the Taurus story through many outlets
The 2010 Ford Taurus advertising campaign is designed to build on the momentum Ford has gained from the success of the debuts of F-150, Mustang and Fusion earlier this year.

Ford is aiming at a customer segment that leans toward a male demographic, VanDyke said, so many of the media placements are geared toward activities primarily associated with men -NASCAR, NCAA, Fantasy Football and even the NFL. But that doesn’t mean Taurus might not pop up where it’s least expected.

“This campaign, like the Taurus, is all about innovation,” Farley said. “We want people to take a look, and then take a look again.”

– By: The Daily Auto Editor