Ford’s New Spokesman Literally a Puppet.

Posted on 04. Apr, 2011 by Martin Biela in Digital Campaign

You have to give Ford a hand. Seriously. Its new brand ambassador, Doug, can’t operate without one. The odd-looking orange puppet is part of the automaker’s new digital campaign to promote the 2012 Ford Focus, one that comes with some strong comedic chops.

I think these viral, very comedian social campaigns like Ford Doug or Toyota Swagger works very well when you let professional sitcom writers tell the story and have the benfit to produce in the US, where you have a lot of good comedians and just onemain language. For the European Market with more than 20 languages this is quiet a task.

Similar to how Hyundai tried (and failed) to create an online conspiracy before the Super Bowl by showing sheep driving the new Elantra, Ford seeded Doug’s character in a trio of viral clips it (or its agency) planted on YouTube.

The catalyst: Scott Monty, Ford’s social media guru (technical title: global digital and multimedia communications manager), who started the social media ball rolling with a tweet, “I liked a YouTube video — CAUGHT ON TAPE: Orange Puppet Puts Smackdown on Robber.”

Turns out that was the only video uploaded by “TheJosher32″ on YouTube, in which “Doug” thwarts a robbery. The video’s description: WTH? Guy with orange puppet(?) nails a robber in the face with a bottle and unloads on him with some other stuff. Crazy surveillance video from Spanish TV news story. The police sketch kills me. Is that the perp or the puppet)

Also upoaded on March 8th, “MacAttack20001″ posted this video of a heroic Doug in action:

Finally, in another single-video YouTube account on the same day, this video of Doug saving a choking woman:

Ford then brought the Doug to the fore with web shorts purporting to deal with the puppet’s “publicly heroic, privately a jerk” persona — the mock press conference, at top, and this Focus demo:

“If you think that sounds ridiculous, you’re not alone. We first heard the concept and nearly spit coffee straight into the screens of our laptops. Then Ford shared the first videos and we again nearly spit out our coffee… because the first clips are hilarious thanks to Doug’s waggish and flirty behavior,” writes auto blogger Jeff Glucker.

Thanks to the comedic team behind the Doug campaign, the character is funny — all credit to director Paul Feig (known for The Office, Parks and Recreation, Weeds, 30 Rock and Arrested Development) and a team of writers whose credits include The Simpsons, Borat, Reno 911 and Late Night with Conan O’Brien.

John Ross Bowie, who has appeared on Reno 911 and Curb Your Enthusiasm, plays “John, the Ford Guy” in the web shorts, while Paul F. Tompkins, who appeared in Anchorman: The Legend of Run Burgundy, is the voice of Doug.

Now that it’s morphed from viral marketing to branded entertainment, the campaign has expanded from YouTube to Twitter (follow the characters’ tweets at @FocusDoug and @FocusJohn) and Facebook, as noted by Mashable (which is itself sponsored by Ford).

“The 2012 Focus is so wildly different, we wanted to grab their attention and have them pay attention,” says Jon Beebe, digital marketing manager for Ford, to Mashable.
Videos will be added to the campaign’s YouTube channel in the coming months “to reach consumers who don’t really know Ford Focus or know it only as an econo-box,” he continues.

In an era where brands (and their agencies) are trying harder than ever to get attention on social media and viral video — witness the recent viral prank for Limitless — tell us what you think of Ford’s Doug campaign in the comments below.

Source: Brandchannel

Tags: Ford, Social Media, Viral