Ford built the Bronco from 1966 to 1996. Collectors of the mid-size SUV have pleaded with Ford to return the Bronco to its lineup.
Their requests are being answered. The Bronco, which will be assembled at Ford’s Michigan Assembly Plant in Wayne, will go on sale next year. The new 2021 Ford Bronco reveal event is scheduled for 8 p.m. Monday, introducing two-door and four-door Bronco models as well as a smaller Bronco Sport SUV. According to The Detroit Free Press, Ford will unveil the all-new SUV family across Disney’s broadcast, cable, digital and streaming properties, including three custom 3-minute films during the first commercial break on the hour.
Jimmy Chin, an Oscar-winning film director, cinematographer and professional climber, is collaborating with Disney on the project.
All three of the advertainment pieces will be made available on demand on Hulu the next day. Synergy is certainly nothing new for Disney, but this is the first time the “road block,” an invention used for decades by marketers, is being mobilized for a product reveal on Disney channels.
Paid Social Is Nice But Not Necessary
The Detroit automaker plans to keep its commitment to not buy social media advertising at this time despite having this billion-dollar product launch and learning its key competitor is planning to ramp up its own presence.
“What we paused was paid social advertising but we will still have a huge impact with organic social media interest. Just the built up, pent-up interest in Bronco is like nothing we’ve ever seen before. We’re just going to reach a huge audience — Super Bowl-like numbers,” Mark Truby, chief communications officer told the newspaper.
“Between our Ford social channels and Disney — with ABC, ESPN and NatGeo — this will be unlike any product launch we have ever done. NatGeo alone has 120 million followers on Instagram,” Truby said.
Wrangler Gonna Wrangle
Jeep, unlike Ford, did not commit to withholding its ad spend on social platforms. The Fiat Chrysler brand is free to promote the Wrangler in any way they see fit. But will it be enough to compete with Ford’s power of paid and organic reach on social?
Ford executives have said the company is setting its sights on Jeep customers, specifically Wrangler. Wrangler, like Bronco, has its own legion of off-road driving fans.
Here’s a brand spot from Jeep that continues the streak of COVID-19-inspired commercials that tap our longing for normalcy. It’s something that we may be longing for, for a long time to come.
“There’s nothing little about little freedoms.” Agreed. But the insight doesn’t belong to Jeep or any brand. It’s just the way things are at the moment. We are also free to walk, ride a bike, or stay home. And yes, some Americans with jobs and good credit are also free to choose between A Bronco and a Wrangler. Provided they need a new ride and don’t mind the cash outlay.
In April, the U.S. personal savings rate hit an all-time high of 33%, up from 12.7% in March, according to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. The previous record was 17.3% in May 1975, the tail end of an early 1970s recession following a two years of economic stagnation.
