I remember sitting across the table from the head honchos at a Ford launch a few years ago in the United States.
When they opened the floor to questions, smart arse me put up my hand and asked innocently whether they had an electric version of the Mustang in the pipeline.
Well, you would have thought I’d cracked a huge joke. They all smiled and looked at each other, chuckling indulgently.
I can’t remember who answered. For that matter, I can’t remember whether anyone actually answered — although the answer is probably contained in a notebook stored in the garage.
But you get my drift?
Suffice to say the Ford execs weren’t too interested in talking about electric Mustangs.
After all, all of them probably had a classic V8 ’66 Mustang back home in the garage (I don’t blame them).
Fast forward to 2021 and Ford has just launched a campaign to highlight the strengths of the all-electric Mustang Mach-E.
The campaign, Mustang Mach-E v. Everything, features a series of five short films that highlight the strengths of the Mach-E in impressive and visually captivating ways.
Why? To help shatter every misconception customers might have about electric vehicles by pitting the all-new Mustang Mach-E against the forces of gravity, lightning, a racing pit crew, DNA and even a rocket.
Well, I’ll be buggered! They did have one in the pipeline all along.
“Mustang has always been disruptive, and the all-new all-electric Mustang is no different,” Ford’s chief marketing officer, Suzy Deering, said.
“We needed a campaign that brought the spirit of Mustang to life in the most compelling, entertaining way possible. And Mustang Mach-E v. Everything does just that.”
“The Mustang Mach-E v. Everything name came about in part because of a rise in how customers are searching online.
“Automotive comparison searches using “versus” have gone up – specifically around electric vehicles – by 64 percent in the past year.
The campaign was developed by creative collaborator BBDO NY and 1stAveMachine directors, Aaron Duffy and Bob Partington, who are known for their technical approach to filmmaking.
You can check out the films on YouTube:
- Mustang Mach-E v. Gravity: The torque in the 2021 all-electric Mustang Mach-E is powerful. But is it powerful enough to challenge the laws of gravity? See how the electric pony’s off-the-line performance fares against a falling chandelier.
- Mustang Mach-E v. Rocket Science: The range of the 2021 all-electric Mustang Mach-E is impressive. But what does an impressive range look like? A four-metre rocket helps visualise the EPA-estimated 483km range of the Mustang Mach-E Premium model with available extended-range battery and rear-wheel drive.
- Mustang Mach-E v. Pit Crew: Over-the-air update capabilities allow the 2021 all-electric Mustang Mach-E to update from almost anywhere. But can they compete with a mobile pit crew harnessed to the bed of a truck? Only one way to find out.
- Mustang Mach-E v. Lightning: The 2021 all-electric Mustang Mach-E can be charged superfast. But can it beat the charge of lightning generated from a four-metre Tesla coil? Find out when the Mustang Mach-E’s impressive DC fast charging capability goes head-to-head with lightning.
- Mustang Mach-E v. DNA: The 2021 all-electric Mustang Mach-E is capable of learning the behaviors and adapting to the preferences of individual drivers. But is it smart enough to tell the difference between identical ones? See what happens when the personalized technology in Mustang Mach-E takes on twins.
Hmmm . . . I wonder what Ford’s response would be if I asked that same question now, all these years later?
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