Here’s the 30-second radio commercial. I challenge you to pay attention to the entire half-minute.
So, what was that spot all about?
Were there any words, phrases or sentences you simply couldn’t decipher?
Did Ford’s ad agency not have the budget to hire an audio engineer?
What expert “advice” did they have for us? We should have our automobile tires’ pressure checked and the tires rotated regularly. And something about the tread.
Wow. That’s worth listening to.
And then some sort of special offer filled with auditory fine print — much of which we can almost understand.
Advertising Solves Problems.
Whose problems were addressed in that advertisement?
What valuable information was shared?
In what way did that…thing…have anything at all to do with the life of even one listener?
How does Ford justify throwing away its stockholders’ money?
How does the ad agency sleep at night, having accepted money to produce crap such as that?
Comments on this entry are closed.
I couldn’t even figure out what his first words were in the spot. Until she says “hi Mike”… oh I guess his name is Mike something? And it just gets better from there. Most of the disclaimer I could understand, except the code at the end… is that a signal to some group somewhere to “put the plan in motion”, maybe?
I’ve been annoyed with this series of FORD commercials for quite a while now, which also have TV spots. It’s like FORD is trying to be plain and folksy, with some every-man’s man, who always talks with some FORD mechanic in one of their dealers shops. And that music is rather distracting fiddles, or something.
And I didn’t understand all of whatever was said by any of the three voices, either.
I think the guy’s name is “Micro,” if you listen carefully, probably short for “Microbrain” or “Microtalent.”
His name is Mike Rowe. He has extensive TV and voiceover credits and is the narrator of The Deadliest Catch (about to enter it’s ninth season on The Discovery Channel) and has hosted the TV show, Dirty Jobs.
If you had half of his success, ADD, you’d call it a good career!
FZ, if that is the case, wouldn’t it make more sense if this Mike Rowe guy would just do a well written voice over for FORD, instead of talking with people in the open?
Believe it or not, FZ, I actually knew it was a guy named Mike Rowe. But listeners to that commercial don’t, because it sounds like he’s saying “Micro.” As in “Microscopic,” the likely return on investment for the spot. Perhaps Mike Rowe should capitalize on his amazing career by insisting on well-written copy before he agrees to voice a commercial.
I agree with ADD. I’m an HUGE fan of Mike Rowe, and some of his early Ford spots were pretty darn good with what seemed like genuine interaction. But his style is not one that works in wordy :30 spots. Basically, Ford and their ad agency is wasting the incredible talent they hired.