Idris Elba, Matthew Dear and Vaughn Gittin Jr. Drop a Bombshell for Ford
Ford has launched a campaign for its all-electric Mustang Mach-E that you might expect a sneaker brand, not an auto manufacturer, to lead. The automaker literally 'dropped' opportunities to order a coveted Mustang Mach-E First Edition—and consumer interest is unprecedented.
“It’s more and more common to see exclusive product drops for things like special edition sneakers and watches, or unannounced album drops from the likes of Beyonce. But we’ve never seen it done before with a vehicle,” said Matt VanDyke, director of Ford marketing.
The Ford Mustang brand has never been shy of disrupting the status quo, but this effort might be a first for an automaker. 'Mach Drop' sees Ford offering a small number of Mustang Mach-E First Editions in three of its most popular colours, not through traditional channels, but rather by dropping them via some of the internet’s most popular celebrities and platforms.
- Ford’s approach to marketing the additional (small) batch of all-electric Mustang Mach-E First Editions is disrupting the auto market
- Reservations were full for the First Edition after its reveal in November 2019. This drop is a new allotment as the official order bank closed on August 1st.
- Sets out to reach its trend-forward customers in a culturally relevant way
- Is a 'scrappy' organic campaign with no paid media support
Early results are in:
- Purchase inquiries have been flooding in through concierge lines and emails
- Online chatter within Mustang Mach-E Forums is at a peak as fans debate which of the unique colourways to buy
- Autoblog even picked up on the effort, stating: “Ford is marketing this like an exclusive merch drop, akin to something Supreme might do with items in short supply. It’s a bit weird, and it isn’t something we’ve seen Ford attempt in the past.”
What We’re Doing & How We’re Doing It
Idris Elba drops Mustang Mach-E First Editions on Instagram like they were Yeezys.
The effort began last Friday when celebrity influencer Idris Elba announced the first drop of First Editions in the Grabber Blue colourway on Instagram, leading fans to Ford’s page for details on how to order one of the exclusive vehicles.
Uncrate and Vaughn Gittin Jr. offer up Mustang Mach-E First Editions in Carbonised Gray.
On Monday, a small stash of Mustang Mach-E First Editions in Carbonised Gray dropped on Uncrate—a leading men’s shopping site featuring fashion-forward gear and products. Fans were driven to the experience by professional driver Vaughn Gittin Jr., as well as extensive support from Uncrate. Visitors can click on the First Edition listing to register their interest in the vehicle and to be contacted by a Ford Concierge to discuss placing an order.
Today: Ford takes a page from Beyonce, dropping Rapid Red First Editions on Spotify, unannounced.
The final drop goes live today on Spotify: a small stash of Mustang Mach-E First Editions in the Rapid Red colourway. The drop coincides with the release of EDM artist Matthew Dear’s new single 'New Breed', which itself is inspired by the drive sounds of the Ford Mustang Mach-E. Fans are prompted to search for the 'Mach Drop' playlist, on the Ford Spotify channel, which contains Mustang and electric-inspired tracks, including a hidden clue that reveals the phone number to order the highly sought-out vehicle.
Background
Ford revealed its first-ever all electric Mustang—the Mustang Mach-E First Edition—last November. Reservations for the new all-electric SUV were completely full in just eight days, leaving many consumers clamouring for a First Edition.
'Mach Drop' was developed with creative agency partner BBDO New York, and is a novel approach to selling vehicles. And so far, without any paid media support, the brand has successfully been generating buzz and purchase-interest. The effort concludes on August 31st, or when the limited batch of order opportunities is full.
